looking for the truth
by Little Bean
Summary: There's trouble brewing abroad. Kakashi and Sakura are sent to uncover the secrets of a neighboring Land. While on their mission, Kakashi has life-altering realizations as secrets that could change the course of the shinobi world are discovered. (eventual Kakasaku)
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hello!

This is my first Naruto fic. Warning: I have not seen part 2, but this is the world of immense spoilers and I did ample research to make my story make sense (at least I hope it does). Please enjoy!

(title from False Alarm by the Head and the Heart)

 _Kakashi didn't know what day everything changed. Maybe it was all at once, but he missed it. Perhaps it was gradual, a slow change, overtaking him bit by bit before he noticed his attitude had shifted. No matter that strategy, it still made the Lifeblood Assault the worst war he had experienced in this shinobi career. Not in terms of casualties, but emotional impact and destruction._

 _It was a devastating battle. It tore families apart, partners fought against each other without a second thought. Friends as old as they could remember were ripped apart._

 _And no one could stop themselves._

 _Here's how it all started._

"Kakashi-sensei," his old student greeted him as he walked into the Hokage's office. Naruto relaxed his feet on the desk covered in stacks of papers, files, and other village business. He obviously did not care that the Hokage could—and would—walk in at any moment, resulting in a bad flick of the head and a bruise that would last for a few days.

"As I always insist, it's just Kakashi now, Naruto," he said. "Everyone in our old team should just call me Kakashi."

Naruto smiled at him. "You'll always be Kakashi-sensei to me, no matter what." He tapped his chin. "Although I'm not sure how Sasuke-kun or Sakura-chan feel about this."

Of course he didn't, the oblivious fool. Sasuke never really acknowledged Kakashi as a suitable teacher since he arrived late to their first team meeting. And Sakura was hard to crack—still continued to be. By the time she fully accepted her position as head medic, Kakashi eventually convinced her to drop the formalities once in a while, considering Tsunade had taken over as her sensei many years ago. But being her stubborn self, she still tacked on the annoying title. Kakashi didn't exactly know why, but it had started to bother him more and more recently.

"You're to go on a mission with me?" Kakashi asked instead. No reason to divulge that information.

Sitting up in his chair, Naruto gave him an excited look, blue eyes wide. "That would be so fun! I hope so. But I don't actually know, I haven't been given any details on why I'm here either."

Kakashi felt her before she entered the room. Without a need to hide her chakra, the Hokage let her energy exude wherever she went, enticing both fear and apprehension in her wake. Kakashi himself stood straighter in anticipation, but Naruto, still not being aware, played with an empty bottle of sake on the desk. How he could miss the powerful presence of Tsunade mystified Kakashi.

He sensed Genma and Raido set up position by the front door, and the Hokage burst in. She was clearly aggravated on top of her constant sleep deprivation. Mid-sentence, Tsunade didn't even notice Naruto at her desk as she continued talking to Shizune.

"And then make sure that Shikamaru doesn't overthink that one—he's a smart ninja, but even the best chest players overshoot when they believe their opponents to be of equal competence." Kakashi held his breath as he watched Tsunade pull back her chair, causing Naruto to fumble with his lost footing, and then promptly sit on the young shinobi.

Her train of thought completely halted, her eyes bulging from their sockets. Naruto sent a panicked looked at Kakashi who maintained a neutral composure, while Shizune just rolled her eyes. Tsunade braced her hands on her desk, painted nails scratching the wood.

"Please tell me you aren't sitting in the most powerful person in this village's chair, Naruto," she said in a low voice.

There was a moment of silence.

"No," Naruto finally said.

Closing her eyes, Tsunade said, "When I get up, I better be able to feel the cushion under my ass in under a second." Without warning she stood, and Naruto seized the opportunity to escape and rushed to stand at attention next to Kakashi. Sighing contentedly, Tsunade relaxed into her seat. Then she tensed up again. She stared right at Naruto.

"Also tell me you didn't mess with the settings on the chair, Naruto," danger dragged from her voice.

Kakashi practically heard Naruto shrink. "No," he squeaks out. _Oh no,_ Kakashi thought in his head.

Quick as lighting, Tsunade grabbed an empty sake bottle and chucked it at Naruto's head. "Fool! It took me months to find the perfect combination for maximum relaxation! Get out! No more mission for you!" Naruto managed to dodge the flying drink, but the office wall didn't stand a chance. It slid through the wall like butter, crashing into the hallway. Genma and Raido sent a startled glance back into the room through the sake-shaped hole.

Shaking in his orange jumpsuit, Naruto said, "Grandma! That's not fair!"

Kakashi resisted the urge to shake his head. _He never learns, even after so many lessons._

If looks could kill, Naruto would be dead ten times now. "Get. Out." Tsunade growled, even more irritated after his use of her nickname she always insisted he never utter.

"But Grandma—"

"That's it! Errand duty, until an undefined time," Tsunade announced. Then she leapt over the desk, and tossed Naruto from the office through the sake hole. Of course, Naruto, being a little bit larger than a bottle of alcohol, made the extent of the damaged wall increase. Genma groaned from the other side of the hole.

Taking a deep breath, Tsunade calmed herself. After she returned to her desk, she pulled out a new bottle of sake. As she poured herself a generous cup, Shizune muttered. "I'm sure I checked everywhere…"

Tsunade enjoyed her alcohol, taking a big gulp and sighing contentedly as she settled into her chair despite the altered settings. It seems she'd forgotten all about summoning Kakashi, and he waited about another four minutes before he began to talk.

"Godaime—"

"So Kakashi," Tsunade said over him. "Now we are in a bit of a predicament."

"We are?" He asked, keeping his bláse attitude.

Twisting her in chair, Tsunade looked out her window overlooking the village. "Indeed. There's been word of unrest coming from the Land of Mountain Streams in regards to our trading with them. Whispers of a new type of chemical warfare being developed in their lands have reached us, and I need a pair of our soldiers to investigate."

"Sounds like that was an issue before Naruto was," Kakashi noted.

"It was," Tsunade agreed. "But it's a mission that required two people; and ones that know each other very well."

"May I ask why?"

"You'll learn once you're closer to your destination, that's not important for the time being." She waves her hand in the air. "So, you're obviously a good candidate with your ninken, therefore I needed someone that hopefully understood you and your behavior. But now Naruto has irritated me, and I don't know what to do." She directed a frown outside.

"What about Gai?" Kakashi suggested. If he had to admit it to himself, Kakashi would say there was no one else who knew him quite like Gai does. Even with his repetitive and often mind-boggling rivalry challenges, Gai had proven himself to be the closest friend of Kakashi's that had managed to keep themselves alive.

Tsunade shook her head. "This mission requires the delicate use of ninjutsu. Besides, I need Gai for something else."

Tilting his head to the side, Kakashi asked, "So you thought your next best option was Naruto?"

Laughing, Tsunade grabs her stomach. "Goodness, no," she says. "I thought of Genma here, and even Anko first, but that didn't add up to a successful mission. And before you say anything, I did the calculations of a mission with Naruto. You can't deny the numbers: even with his mishaps, Naruto gets jobs done. And he worked with you for a long time. So he was pretty much perfect. So who else would know you as well as Naruto?" She gazed outside, scanning the village. "He was a former student of yours. You don't have many, if any, others of those. Sasuke is out of the village doing Kami knows what, and…" Her eyes fell on the village hospital. "Sakura… Sakura?" She repeats. Spinning, she excitedly poured her chakra out at Kakashi. "Sakura! I forgot about her!"

Something dark churned in Kakashi's stomach. "You forgot about your own student?"

"No, of course not," Tsunade insisted. "I forgot she was a student under you, since she is _,_ and has been, mine for so long. You used to teach her. She knows you almost as good as Might Gai does. She'll go with you. Perfect. Crisis averted."

"Sakura? Come with me on this mission?" Kakashi practically repeated her orders, for some reason dazed. Not that he and Sakura have had any falling out, but the shinobi had found himself avoiding his former pupil more and more as of late. She didn't need him pestering her, she was too busy, he didn't deserve to bother her...

Kakashi is knocked out from his slight confusing with a hand wave from Tsunade. "Well, who else is there? Besides, Sakura is getting antsy in the surgical room. She loves it there, but she also loves being out in the field. This will get her off my back. Here are the mission details, please share them with her when you're closer to the village." A manila folder is shoved across the desk.

Kakashi accepted the mission, of course, like the good soldier he was. He's had years, decades, to separate his emotions and personal feelings from his job. He didn't fully understand his hesitance or presentiment about this particular assignment, but that didn't mean compartmentalizing wouldn't be possible.

With a nod, Kakashi was excused from the Hokage's presence. He could get through a little mission with Sakura. He'd been through a lot with her: exams, wars, injuries. So what if they weren't as close as they used to be. It wasn't a big deal.

He could do this.

It'll be quick, he told himself. No big deal. He would get the job done, and he'll put the pink-haired kunoichi out of his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I'm having a little trouble finding Kakashi's voice, and alignining how he's feeling properly... but I hope I'm doing alright so far. Thanks for reading!

"So when are you going to explain the mission to me?" Sakura asked, aggravated. She walked next to Kakashi, arms crossed, body tight. Her backpack was at least twice her body weight, but she gave no indication of its drag. She kept up with Kakashi with ease, and even had breath to spare for complaining. Not in the Yamanaka girl's sense of complaining. Sakura's complaints were all directed at Kakashi, and all perfectly valid. Case in point: her previous question.

Flipping to the next page of his Itcha Itcha, Kakashi hummed. "When you need to know."

Her cheeks turn a slight red. "I think I need to know _now._ I should have known a while ago, considering this is an A-ranked mission. You always preached the importance of teamwork—how can we be a team if I don't know the whole picture? I need to be prepared. Also, Shizune told me I would be briefed by you on the way over. For the last two days, that has proven to be false. All you've done is read Itcha Itcha and eat."

Kakashi held back the urge to laugh. It was pure fun to see the small ninja get so worked up and go on her little monologue. In all honesty, that might have been the reason he did not disclose the details of the mission, if he didn't have a sealed envelope with the final details. If he did tell her, that would have been the end of it, and they would have nothing else to talk about. Or perhaps he didn't trust himself with other topics of conversation. Gai told him constantly that he needed to work on his social skills, and so Kakashi did that by simply making the other person talk enough for the two of them. And they had a week before they arrived at their destination. It wasn't even the correct time to tell her about the mission.

"I quite enjoy those two things." Kakashi's eyes crinkled at the sides. "So if you don't mind, I'll resume the latter of the pair."

And so they travelled in silence once more, Sakura trudging alongside Kakashi as he sensed out with his chakra as a guide in order to remain fixed in his book. It was just getting interesting, and he couldn't spare a cell in his eye on anything else. He was eternally grateful to have two normal eyes once again, so he didn't need to spend chakra subduing the sharingan, as well as energy in fixing his skewed depth perception.

Fingers were slipping below the protection of clothes, Kakashi's heart started racing—

And a blur of ink flashed before his eyes, and before he could process what had happened, Sakura tucked his precious orange book in her flak jacket front pocket.

Sputtering, Kakashi froze in place. He was completely caught off guard, completely lost without his story. "Wha-what? Give that back!"

"Nope," she said, popping the 'p.'

"Sakura, I swear, if you don't give that back—"

"If you want it, just take it back yourself," she stated, puffing out her chest towards Kakashi. The book peeked open slightly from the pocket's cover, exposed from its confines near her breast. His hand instinctively reached for the treasure, but skill made him pause. He could never touch her near there; it was too intimate, he hadn't earned the right. He wasn't even a good friend of hers anymore, much less a partner. When was the last time they had really even _talked_? Probably not for months. Sakura obviously knew he wouldn't cross that personal boundary. Since when did she get so bold, anyways?

From the triumphant look of Sakura's face, she saw the acceptance in Kakashi's eyes of losing his book. He hoped she didn't notice the red blush that made its way passed his mask.

"It was giving you an excuse to ignore me," she explained. "Now you _have_ to talk to me."

"I can entertain myself perfectly well with just my own mind," Kakashi rebutted. Drowning out Sakura's objection with his thoughts, Kakashi dove into his head. Without his erotica, there was nothing to really take his mind off of the ninja next to him, flailing in attempt after attempt to reconnect, to rekindle their old friendship. And here he was, again, distancing himself.

Topic after topic skirted this thoughts, and Kakashi analyzed each one for its worth. Which would earn the gift of his brain power?

Of course, the practical thing to do would have been to go over jutsu that might be necessary once they reached their destination. Without his Sharingan, Kakashi had to rely purely on his memory of the copied jutsu, or he would forget them forever. Each of the hundreds of jutsu he had copied he now needed to recall hand signs for.

He could think about the events leading up to the climax in his novel, but that just made his hands itch for the book itself, and that was a dangerous path to take.

But as usual, leaving Kakashi's mind to wander lead him to Rin and Obito.

Therefore he simply recited the alphabet. The path of life which he was accustomed on getting lost on was not within his reach, with the distraction of Sakura beside him. She kept trying to poke at him, get a response, engage him. It was like she reverted to her twelve-year-old self when Team 7 was still together, when she was just a genin. He knew this wasn't her anymore; he was a respectable woman, with an inspiring job as a shinobi.

And eventually, she gave up.

Arms folded, mouth in a slight pouted shape, Sakura looked to the ground in dismay. Silence stretched out, and all Kakashi could do was watch her with sadness as she wrapped her arms around her thin figure, making herself smaller.

"What did I do wrong?" She whispered to herself. Kakashi slowed down, and Sakura walked by him, not noticing his change of pace. He reached out after her, but with her head down, she didn't see.

 _What does she think happened?_

* * *

The next leg of the journey was solemn, but professional.

With Kakashi still leading the way as the senior ninja, Sakura went around conducting perimeter checks and awarenesses. Her reports were always short and succinct, perfectly describing what she saw. Usually there is nothing of note. Once, Sakura noticed a pack of bandits following them. They threw them off their trail quickly.

Then one day, two ninja tried to launch a surprise attack on her when she sped ahead of Kakashi for a quick survey. She heard them from a mile away, dodging their shuriken and attacks with ease. But they were quick too, and massive in size. Sakura could only focus on one as the other decided to go for Kakashi.

With her comrade now in danger, Sakura summoned more chakra and delivered a decimating blow to her opponent, leaving him in the dust as she ran after the other rouge ninja.

She arrived to see the two men in a standoff, the fight becoming a verbal one. They threw insults at each other like men do, puffing out their feathers in an attempt to establish dominance.

From far away, Sakura threw a kunai. It struck the rogue ninja right in a pressure point in his back. He scrunched up, let out a frail squeal, and fell at Sakura's feet.

Kakashi, still in his stance with hand signs at the ready, felt his mouth open as Sakura walked forward with her hands at her hips. She kicked the ninja over, scanning his injuries. Not much, so she just induced a coma to last for the next few hours.

Brushing off dust from her shoulder, she looked to Kakashi. "Shall we continue?" So quick, so efficient, and so nonchalant. She'd been like that for a while now, but _when_ had she become like that, Kakashi wondered. He wasn't brave enough to ask the question out loud.

Now, a few minutes after sundown, Sakura sharpened her weapons as Kakashi crouched in front of the fire preparing dinner. No words had been spoken since their little attack, and the silence was getting to him. He was used to her being joyful and talkative, to a slightly above normal degree. Before she had been overcompensating—for what, Kakashi still could not understand—but this completely 180 flip threw him off. He wanted the old Sakura back, the one that would greet him with a soft smile when he delivered items from the Hokage, the one that would _tsk_ when he came in with another blow to the face from an off-put suitor. That was so long ago; maybe she'd changed since then. It's not like Kakashi would have noticed, being so busy as of late, and Sakura diving deeper into her studies. And then Sasuke left once again after the war, and their paths diverged along with their team member... was there a way to reconnect with his former student?

Although he had to admit it to himself, he was never that open with her to begin with. Besides, he didn't know how to explain how he felt. Kakashi kept his feelings bottled up, as all Hatake do. And he knew this, since he was the only Hatake.

Instead, as they were drawing ever closer to their destination, and Kakashi thought it was best to tell her about the mission now.

"We're going to see if the Land of Mountain Streams is really planning an attack on our village," Kakashi told her over the crackle of a campfire.

He expected her to look up, to meet his eyes, but Sakura just stared at the flames. The light illuminates her face partially, casting an ominous shadow over her features.

"I know that already. What I don't know is where or how we plan to infiltrate this Land."

"Oh." Kakashi scratched his chin. "Well, I haven't thought about that at all."

" _What?_ " Sakura straightened on her log.

Arms in the air in surrender, Kakashi explained. "Tsunade gave me some details, but the rest are in this letter, explaining why we were paired up." He pulled out a letter from his pocket. "Since I didn't know all of the details of the mission, I didn't want to waste time thinking about to something that might be meaningless."

Putting her kunai to the side, Sakura slid off her log to sit next to Kakashi. "I swear, Shishou is so extra. Can we open it now?"

With another shrug, Kakashi said, "I guess we're close enough now. Here," he passed it to Sakura.

She stared at him, agast. "Really? Shouldn't you be the one to open it, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi cringed over his cooking, rotating the rations over the fire. "No. Sakura, we're _equals_ now, equals on this mission." Her using the formality stung him.

"But you were my—"

"I told you," he interrupted her. "That was long ago, before the Fourth Shinobi World War. Please." He fixed all his attention onto her. "Just call me Kakashi."

Hand hovering over the envelope, Sakura matched Kakashi's intense stare. What she was thinking, Kakashi wished he could know.

"Are you sure?" She asked finally.

Cocking his head to the side, Kakashi responded, "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?" He was genuinely asking; he wanted to know why she was resisting this transition so strongly, even more so now than before.

But Sakura looked down to the envelope, and ripped it open. "Let's see what Lady Tsunade said," she dodged the question in true Kakashi fashion. _She would make a good Hatake,_ he snidely thought.

"All right…" Sakura trailed off, reading first piece of paper. "What? No. That can't be correct."

"What? Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked.

"Read it yourself," she shoved the instructions to him, then set off away from the fire, pacing.

 _In the main town of the Land, there's a festival going on celebrating new life and young love. You two are to pose a newly engaged couple as you gain information and snoop around._ Kakashi flipped the piece of paper over. _And yes, the assignment would have been the same if you had been sent with Naruto. Don't argue with me, he would have loved it._

"Damn Sage," Kakashi grumbled as he flipped through the other letters in the envelope. The old ninja knew he would have argued had he known this would be an aspect of the mission. But they're too far in now to turn around, and he had no choice but to continue.

There was one bright side to this particular assignment.

"I suppose you'll really have to get used to just calling me Kakashi," he joked with a glint in his eyes

Sakura just rolled her eyes back, not amused.

* * *

KibouNoKuro: thank you! I appreciate it :)


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Kakashi and Sakura head into the village, pretending to be engaged.

Upon arrival at the village, the pair halted just before the gates, suspending themselves in the trees. Summoning his ninken, Kakashi sent off Pakkun to snatch some clothes better suited for a semi-affluent couple on a romantic retreat. A bit insulted at the trivial task, Pakkun only agreed when Sakura begged and scratched him on his head.

"Well, how could I refuse now?" The dog had said. "I always liked this one," he shot at Kakashi.

He set off on his little shopping spree, money tucked into his jaw.

Due to his small stature, Pakkun had to make a few trips. First, he brought back a nice summer dress for Sakura: white with cherry blossom petals blowing in the wind.

"How fitting," Kakashi said as Sakura once again rolled her eyes.

For Kakashi, Pakkun purchased (or rather, left coins near the stalls he had taken the clothes from) a smart button down and well-fitting jeans.

Holding up the light blue pants to the sky, Kakashi scrunched up his face. He wasn't too excited to wear something so constricting. He much preferred the loose ninja outfit that made him feel free and safe. Protected.

"Oh, lighten up," Sakura told him as she changed on a branch a few levels above him. "At least you'll have pockets."

Kakashi had to admit that was nice. Sakura was stuck with strapping weapons and scrolls on her upper legs, or stuffing them down her bra. Not very comfortable.

Regardless, he still grumbled as he stripped off his ninja clothes. Pakkun was shaking with laughter as Kakashi fumbled with the buttons of the shirt.

"Haven't gotten out much lately, have you?" The dog commented.

With a glare, Kakashi finished the last button. "Why are you still here?"

The dog shrugged. "This is incredibly amusing. And I thought you might want some tips for this mission."

"Tips? Why would I need advice?"

The dog gave him a knowing look. "Even though you avoided the question, I know you haven't been out much, much less gone on a date recently. Do you know how to act around a girlfriend? A _fiancé?"_

Straightening out his collar, Kakashi avoided eye contact. "I think I'll manage."

"Maybe with anyone else, but this is Sakura we're talking about." Pakkun circled in place three times, then settled down with his paws crossed.

Kakashi paused in his fidgeting. "And what does _that_ mean?"

He could see the dog sigh. "Well, I guess if you have to ask that, the point is moot." He scratched his ear with a rear foot. "Any other things you need me or the crew to take care of? A perimeter check? A sniff-out?"

Although still wondering what Pakkun meant by his last comment, Kakashi let it slide. "I think we're good for now, but I'll definitely need the pack later on. Don't stray too far."

"We never do," the dog replied. With a nod, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Oh no, did I miss saying goodbye?"

"Yes, but he'll be back, don't wor—" his mind went blank when he saw Sakura. Her headband was stored in her pack, leaving her short hair to flow unrestrained around her face. Her grace in the wind perfectly mimicked the dress as it bellowed in the soft breeze both in the physical world and the illustration on the material. She looked so small in the dress, so different from the powerful Sakura he had constructed in his mind.

She cocked her head to the side. "Are you alright?"

Kakashi pinched himself. "I'm perfectly fine. Are you ready?"

Shouldering her backpack, Sakura nodded. "But what about?..." she shyly pointed at Kakashi's face.

He patted himself down. "What? Is there something on my face?"

Somehow Sakura made herself even smaller by crossing one arm around her body to clutch at her opposite limb. "Shouldn't you take off your mask? I'm not sure if that's really a common thing around here."

"Oh." Kakashi brushed his mask with fingertips. She was probably correct, but he wasn't ready to strip himself that much in front of the kunoichi. "I think it'll be fine. Lots of people have loads of odd customs."

"Okay," Sakura said. And without further argument, she leapt down. Kakashi followed, meeting her at the base of the tree. She waited patiently, scanning the area around them and contemplating the entrance gate to the village.

"Here, let me take that," Kakashi extended a hand for Sakura's backpack.

She'd never looked more offended. Taking a step back, she said, "I'm perfectly capable of carrying it myself. I think I might even be stronger than you!"

"I don't doubt that," Kakashi admitted, "but people might think it odd if such a dutiful fiancé wasn't carrying his partner's luggage for her."

Reluctantly, Sakura handed over her backpack. And with that joyous note, they left the solitude of the foliage to approach the main gateway.

Two hired guard stopped them. "Halt! What brings you two here?"

Before Kakashi could answer, Sakura draped herself over him, placing one hand over her chest and lifting one leg in the air. "Why do you think?" She batted her eyes at the guards.

Immediately the guards softened. "Of course, my apologies for my comrade's rudeness," the other said, slapping his fellow guard in the chest. "You two must be here for the festival. Welcome, welcome." The two stepped aside and gestured into the main road of the village.

"Much gratitude," Sakura said sweetly. Linking arms with Kakashi, she led him past the men and into the town.

"Impressive," Kakashi mumbled down to her.

"I'm a kunoichi," Sakura stated. "Charming is in the job description."

Of course. Kakashi felt chills at the implications in her statement. Ninjas were expected to be used for seduction purposes, female ninjas more than men. Kakashi had had his fair share of such assignments, but thinking Sakura had been through such demeaning and self-deprecating situations made his lip curl in distaste. Kakashi had no worth. But Sakura shouldn't have had to go through that. Not that any kunoichi should—but something about Sakura made him feel more protective. Maybe he was already taking his role as fiancé too seriously. He needed to take a step back and act more professional.

Kakashi left that dangerous train of thought to take in his surroundings. He was astounded at the scene in front of him: the main street was similar to Konoha's, with lines of street vendors and different shops. But for the event the people had clearly gone crazy. Drapes of pink and white lights arched through the sky above, crossing over from one street lamp to the next, flashing their colors. Banners hung from every building, proclaiming the event in huge letterings and large hearts. The street itself was lined with flowers of many kinds, including roses petals, daisies, and even peach blossoms.

Solicitors roamed around, selling flowers and chocolates to anyone that would listen. Vendors overflowed with bouquets, trinkets, and food for loved ones. Dozens and dozens of couples swooned over the attention from shopkeepers, dragging significant others from stall to stall. From all the rustle and bustle Kakashi wondered how they would get the information they needed for Tsunade.

Sakura tugged on his arm. "Come on, we should find a place to set up camp." Once again, Kakashi followed, after slyly removing his arm from Sakura's. The lack of warmth left him empty, and the space between them was cold. Sakura shot him a surprised look, which turned to of sadness and slight rejection. But she covered it up quickly and took the lead down the path.

"Ahh, what a lovely lady! Would you like a necklace? Lovely necklace for a lovely lady!"

"It's such a hot day, how about a nice refreshing smoothie! Peach and cherry to match that beautiful hair of yours!"

"Take a break and sit down, Madam! Let me sketch you and your lover!"

Sakura was the target of nonstop street car peddlers. They zoomed in on her summer dress and immediately recognized her as a tourist. Every time she indulged them, but after a moment she would always turn them down.

Hands raised in a small surrender, she apologized. "Sorry, but we're not interested right now!" And Kakashi would follow her once more as she continued down the road.

After the eleventh shopkeeper took interest in her, Kakashi stepped forward. "Please leave my fiancé alone, we've had a long journey and really must find a place to rest. Have a good day." He placed a hand on the small of Sakura's back, leading her away from the leering stare of the salesman.

"There's no reason to be rude," Sakura muttered under her breath.

Exacerbated, he shot back, "There's also no reason to stop at literally _every_ little shop."

She tugged herself away from his body. "We just arrived, we need to get a feel for who is here and what's going on! Ever heard of reconnaissance?" Shamefully Kakashi looked away, knowing she was right. It was just not the way he would have gone about it. "Besides, we also need to keep up appearances. No one will guess if we're snooping if that's just what we're like."

Sakura said that as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, but Kakashi hadn't even begun to think of that. He was just planning on settling down in a hotel room and sending out his dogs at night, and then following up on any suspicious activity. Spying in broad daylight _was_ a tactic, just one he barely employed. He was still thinking as if he were alone on this mission.

Crossing his arms, Kakashi tapped his chin. "You're quite right. I'm sorry." He placed his hands in his hips. "Good thing my fiancé is so smart!" He said loudly.

"Sens—Kakashi," Sakura corrected himself, looking away with a blush. "You don't to be so obvious."

"Gotta keep up appearances," Kakashi referenced Sakura's line with a shrug, walking away to explore the other shops, pretending to be interested.

Before he reached the cart lined with books, a hand cut of his line of vision. Following the limb upwards, Kakashi saw a young man with a bright smile attached. He was dressed quite smartly in a dark blue suit, and a nice brown bow tie.

"Good evening, sir! Pardon my eavesdropping, but am I right in overhearing that you and your fiancé have only just arrived at our wonderful town?"

In a split second, Kakashi memorized the man's sharp chin, wide nose, and big ears. Height: 5'11. Hair: dark brown. Skin: brown. Eyes: green. He was overconfident, rich, and eager.

"Yes," Kakashi answered, looking to Sakura as she joined his side. Taking her cue, he slid his arm around her waist, careful not to put a lot of weight on her. "We are so excited to share this wonderful adventure together. And you are?" He still didn't take the man's hand.

The man paused, taken aback by Kakashi's slightly cold demeanor. "Oh, of course! I am the Lord of this village's son, Futoshi Sato."

With a nudge from Sakura, Kakashi finally took the man's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Sato."

Sakura extended her hand out as well. "I'm Sakura Haru, and this is Kakashi Hata. Soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Hata, obviously," she giggled.

Futoshi shook Sakura's hand as well. "Wonderful, truly wonderful! Our entire village is blessed that you both chose to spend the next few days here. Have you decided on a place to stay?"

The pair shook their heads.

Futoshi beamed. "Then I must insist that I offer you the finest of accommodations our Village has to offer. Right next to the residency our Lord, by the palace, are our best houses. Please allow me to give escort you there."

Spinning on his heel, Futoshi led them through the tight streets of the village. Sakura and Kakashi let go of each other and stood a respectful distance apart to follow.

"The Lord of this village is also the daimyo, since this land is so small," Kakashi noted.

"I know," Sakura whispered back. "This is a good opportunity to get close to the royal family, without being too obvious."

Before Kakashi could ask her to divulge how she meant to so that, Sakura excitedly pointed to a ramen stand within their eyesight.

"I'm famished!" She announced. "Would you mind pausing a moment so we can eat a bit? We haven't had a bite to eat in _ages_."

After one look at the little run-down ramen stand, Futoshi had a look of utmost horror on his face. "Of course, but here? In this place? For _ramen_? Do you not want me to take you to some of our five-star restaurants?"

"I love ramen," Sakura insisted. "Please, I would love it if you joined us."

Kakashi had to hand it to the girl. Futoshi had no way to refuse without insulting his guest now. How Sakura managed to be such a bad _shogi_ player and yet be a master at mind games was impressive.

"Alright," Futoshi relented, joining Sakura who had already sat down at the stall.

"One tonkatsu ramen and one miso ramen," Sakura ordered as Kakashi sat down on her other side. Kakashi shot her a surprised look, and she smiled. "What type of fiancé would I be if I didn't know my partner's ramen order?"

"Quite right," Futoshi admired the two of them. Sakura was correct, that was Kakashi's preferred ramen order: good old miso style. And goodness knows they'd had ramen countless times with Naruto. Kakashi was just surprised Sakura took the time to notice that he never strayed off from his one selection at Ichiraku.

Futoshi flagged down the waiter. "One more tonkatsu, please." He turned to the ninja. "So are you two excited for all the festivities planned?" Futoshi asked, resting his elbow on the counter.

Sakura rested her head on a fist. "We don't actually know much about what's been scheduled."

Futoshi's eyes lit up. "There's so much that we have prepared! Tonight, there's a dance set to music that has been choreographed by yours truly," he gestured to himself. "Tomorrow is the celebration of the first meeting: partners plan on gathering at a designated location by themselves, to mimic bumping into each other for the first time. Later that night we have a firework show. Then we have a day just full of activities, ranging from pottery, flower gathering, picnicking, petting zoo, boat rides, and more! The next day we rejoice in the inner beauty; participants are expected to wear masks so everyone can focus on the personality quirks that make us love one another. I see you're already prepared for that one," Futoshi joked.

"Indeed," Kakashi squinted his eyes in a smile.

"Wow," Sakura tapped on the counter. "That's a lot. How much is this costing the village?"

With a wave in the air, Futoshi did not look concerned. "Oh, this whole shebang won't even cause a dent into our village's funds. We have so much nowadays!"

Right then, three heaping bowls of ramen slid in front of them. "Dig in!" The chef told them with a bright smile.

The conversation ended, so Kakashi filed the information for a later discussion. For now, he would enjoy his favorite type of ramen.

Any feedback is very welcome 3


	4. Chapter 4

There was no good transition to return to finances after the meal was complete, so Sakura and Kakashi listened to Futoshi ramble on about the current fashion in the land (Kakashi wanted to impale himself on a kunai) as he led them closer and closer to an inn by the palace as the sun drew closer to the horizon line.

They finally arrived just as night was falling, and after Futoshi spoke a few words with the owner, handed them over the keys.

"Here you go!" He said, dropping them into Kakashi's palm. "All expenses cared for, room service and amenities included. Don't be bashful, take advantage of everything! I'm quite partial to the spa myself," he winked at Sakura.

Kakashi tried to return the keys. "No, no, this is too much," he insisted.

"I agree," Sakura said, "We can't accept this. We insist on paying in full."

Futoshi backed away, hands up. "I'm afraid all has been taken care of already! I can't take it back!"

Sakura bit her lip. "Well, how can we ever thank you for such a generous gift?"

"I know!" Futoshi clapped his hands together. "Please, join me and my family for our brunch. Themed, of course, around love. Lots of other aristocrats will be there, as well as my father. He'd be delighted to meet such lovely folk."

"We accept," Kakashi said immediately. Already an audience with the daimyo himself? That was unprecedented.

"Wonderful!" Futoshi bowed. "I bid you goodnight. I look forward to seeing you both there. Arriving at different times, of course!" He laughed as he walked away.

"Of course," Sakura and Kakashi repeated, waving at the departing figure.

* * *

A nice old woman escorted Kakashi and Sakura to their room, then gave them a quick orientation. Futoshi had not exaggerated when he said this hotel was one of the nicest in the village; Kakashi figured it was even nicer than the Hokage's quarters. There was a foyer upon entry, as large as Kakashi's bedroom back in Konoha. It led into the living room which housed two large couches in front of an extravagant coffee table. This connected via open-concept to the kitchen that the owner of the hotel said they wouldn't need to use, as all food would be provided for them.

The bedroom was ginormous—the king-sized bed was front and center in the room, surrounded by paintings of various nature scenes. It was adorned with a red sheet, with rose petals around the foot of the bed.

"And here's the bathroom," the lady showed them.

Kakashi's eyes widened when the door opened.

A huge bathtub greeted him, of which he approximated to be almost three feet deep. Kakashi could just imagine soaking in the water, bubbles enveloping him, as he relaxed and read his Itcha Itcha. It sounded heavenly. But there wasn't time for that: he needed to rest up, head to that weird brunch tomorrow, and then send Pakkun and co out for some more surveillance.

Once they returned to the front door, the landlady asked them, "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, no, we're perfectly fine!" Sakura answered. With a nod, she closed the door behind the woman's departing figure. She turned to Kakashi. "Alright, we should set everything up for bed, get some sleep, and go over what we've learned in the morning."

Without a second thought, Kakashi pulled out his bedroll from his pack and set up a makeshift bed for himself on the floor, in the living room area.

"Kakashi, what are you doing?" Sakura asked.

"Making a bed?" Wasn't it obvious? That's what she just said to do.

"But there's enough for two here. It's literally made for five people," she gestured to the king-sized bed.

"No, this is fine," he insisted, removing a pillow from the linen closet.

"But what if someone enters! Room service, cleaning, or otherwise? We need to keep up appearances. There's even enough space so we won't have to touch," Sakura pointed out.

If it had been anyone else—Genma, Anko, even Ino—Kakashi would have relented. They were two shinobi on a mission, and it would make keeping up the facade a lot easier without having to clean up his bed or worrying about intruders as Sakura had implied. But something about being next to Sakura felt wrong, like he was infringing too much on her, he was assuming too much about their personal boundaries.

He thought maybe it was because she used to be his student. It was improper for him to lay in the same bed as his student.

But that reason didn't seem correct. So without knowing why, Kakashi still insisted on his little bed.

"Fine, be stubborn," Sakura muttered, turning to put away her belongings. She was clearly trying to hide how insulted she felt, as she probably knew he would have been fine with anyone else.

But Kakashi didn't have time to feel sorry, they had a mission to complete, one that could change the course of their village if Tsunade's urgency meant anything. After all this was over, it would be fine. He wouldn't have to deliberately distance himself; in fact, he could try to rebuild the friendship he'd had with Sakura in the past. Maybe even get closer than before. She was proving to be a nice companion. And he did need more good friends. It would probably do wonders for his mental health.

Finally, quietly, Kakashi heard, "Is it because I'm not good enough?"

"What?" Kakashi turned to see Sakura next to the bed, her back still turned, arms across her stomach.

"I know you think I'm not the best ninja out there," she admitted. "I'm sorry about that. But for the sake of the mission, we should set side whatever faults you believe I have and still try to maintain the integrity of the assignment."

With small steps, Kakashi crosses the border from the living room to the bedroom. "Sakura, what's going on?"

With a turn of her head, Kakashi was struck with intense scorn. Her eyes narrowed as she grimaced. "I read the note, sensei. I know I wasn't your first pick; I wasn't even Lady Tsunade's. I understand how you aren't pleased to be stuck on this assignment with me. I also know we haven't talked a while; but your blatant distaste in our pairing is only going to harm our mission." Her face contorted more and more with each word as she fought against the pain of her emotions.

Hands in the air, Kakashi tried to comprehend what she was saying. "Sakura, what do you mean?"

Bowing her head to hide her face, Sakura withheld a choke. "I know Naruto was preferred for this mission over me. He _is_ a better ninja, everyone knows so. But I just can't handle how achromatic you've been on this journey. We need to work _together_ and actually communicate if we are going to succeed in this village."

With a furrow of his brow, Kakashi studied the girl in front of him. The past few days with Sakura had been rocking him mentally, sure. But he'd never intentionally tried to hurt her. Slowly, he said, "Sakura, I never meant to make you feel that way. I just… I'm not a big talker. And sometimes that comes off as gruff." He supposed it had been so long since they'd been in close proximity, Sakura forgot what he was like as her teacher. Or maybe he acted differently when he was in a position of power. Whatever it was, he was surprised she didn't realize before.

She flipped her head up. "What?"

Scratching the back of his neck, Kakashi let out a small, embarrassed chuckle that did not meet his eyes. "It's just how I act sometimes... I certainly didn't mean to be rude."

"Oh."

Sakura paled when she realized that she had falsely accused him. Although he _had_ been creating a space between them, perhaps it was something he should stop doing as well.

"Wait," Kakashi narrowed his gaze at his former student when he recalled more of her admission. "What was that you said? You think I'm not pleased to be on this mission with you? You think I would prefer _Naruto_?" That was almost laughable.

Now Sakura's face turned blotchy with redness. "I didn't… Just forget I said that, I'll just go change, and—"

As Sakura fumbled heading towards the bathroom, words flashed across Kakashi's mind. _What did I do wrong?_ She'd whispered it almost a week ago, when she'd thought he wasn't paying attention.

The skies cleared, giving him a full view of the darkness inside Sakura.

The result of his abandonment, his disinterest was displayed as plain as day in front of him. A shinobi that showed so much potential, that had achieved so much, still doubted herself because of lingering questions about her self-worth. Doubt that Kakashi himself had implanted when he decided to focus more on the two boys in his team. The guilt of this realization wrapped him up, gorging him to breathe hard. He couldn't ignore it, not this time.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," he whispered, cutting of her rambling.

She turned her head, and Kakashi could see one small stream of water falling from her eyes. "You're sorry?"

Swallowing, Kakashi made his way to Sakura. He sat on the bed, his head down.

"Yes, I'm sorry. It's my fault you think that way, isn't it? You think you did something wrong, that I don't see how brilliant you are?" He said.

Sakura turned fully around. "How… how brilliant?" She repeated, eyes glistening.

He nodded. "You've achieved so much, Sakura. You made the Hokage take you on as a student, you equal her in medical jutsu prowess, and you're one of the strongest shinobi alive. All of this, you've achieved despite me. I failed you, Sakura." Kakashi closed his eyes. "I saw your potential, and still ignored it, as I thought Sasuke and Naruto had more. And now I see that only resulted in you thinking I believed you less. That has never been true."

Her body tensed up, fingers gripping tighter on her body. "You saw more potential in the rest of Team Seven?"

Kakashi nodded, unable to meet her infinite gaze. "I did. But I was wrong. Even with the sharingan, I did not see what you had. That even though you were from a civilian family, that you didn't possess at the time the physical durability a great shinobi required, you still had boundless potential. Without me, you discovered that yourself, and have become one of the best ninjas I know." Having controlled the pressure behind his eyes, Kakashi finally looked up. "Without me, you prospered. I'm sorry I ever dragged you down."

He felt the weight of a second body press down the mattress under him, and a hand reach out to open his tightly fisted one.

"Sensei, you never dragged me down," Sakura insisted. Her bright emerald eyes shone, emitting a sense of urgency from within her soul.

His hand felt like a thousand fires where she touched him, and he removed himself from her hold. "Please, don't call me that."

Sakura bowed her head in understanding. "I see. That's why you never wanted me to use that title."

Kakashi nodded.

"How about I'll call you Kakashi, if you listen to what I'm about to say?"

Lifting his hair out of his face, Kakashi looked at Sakura. She stared determinedly at the wall ahead of her. "I didn't anticipate that speech you just gave," she said. "But you should know, you never dragged me down. I think in actuality, you ignited a spark within me that made me want to prove myself. Even if you pushed me aside in the beginning, it made me strive for greatness."

"You would have done that without me," Kakashi interjected.

With a terrifying glare that might have matched the fifth's, Kakashi shut up.

"What I'm _trying_ to say is, how about we just forgive each other?" Contorting her body, Sakura jutted out a hand.

Sitting up straight, Kakashi felt strain exit his body like a flock of birds leaving the nest. He extended out a scarred, calloused hand of his own. Just before their fingers brushed, he held up a finger.

"Remember, you swear to only call me "Kakashi" from now on."

With a roll of her eyes, Sakura agreed, and the deal was sealed with one shake.

 _Author's Note:_ Sorry about the brief chapter; the next one is much longer!

kanya96, thank you! I appreciate it :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter (and the rest to come!)


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note:_ For the first day of the festival, Sakura and Kakashi attend the Daimyo's brunch as a couple _._

After Kakashi had given in to Sakura's appeal of sharing a bed, Kakashi laid still, fingers crossed on his stomach, staring at the ceiling. Clothed only in his tank top with a mask attached and ninja pants, he was actually pretty comfortable. But he couldn't sleep at all.

He could have chalked it up to the fact that he was in a foreign land, and he wanted to be hyper aware. Another excuse was that there was a beautiful woman sleeping in the bed next to him, dressed in thin but conservative pajamas. (He only allowed his mind to think that way in the safety of the night, there was no way he would admit anything like this in the daylight, even to himself.)

A more probable cause was the fact that Sakura snored. It wasn't even that loud, but the slightest noise could trigger a shinobi's fight or flight response.

But none of those were the true reasons. Kakashi just did not sleep.

In fact, there was no way for him to sleep as he never _fell_ asleep; when he laid to rest, his spirit would tighten, suspending him in a limbo where his body would scream for relaxation but his mind reached out to the beyond, never letting go of reality. Flashes of lightning would ignite in his mind and blood would cover his hands, or ash would slip through his fingers. As a result, Kakashi learned how to get maximum rejuvenation for his fatigued muscles while still being awake. Meditation usually whisked away the minutes into hours, and when that wasn't enough, he had a special jutsu to dampen the dark memories that plagued him. There was a reason he was always so late to everything; his chronic fatigue made him take frequent naps that never seemed to help dissuade his droopy eyes.

Being the the Land of Mountain Streams was no different. So laid awake for hours, until he had enough and decided to prepare for the morning.

Tiptoeing quietly around Sakura, he crouched to retrieve his daypack, extracting the other nice clothes Pakkun had gotten for them. He snuck into the bath, and after setting up a nice array of bubbles, settled into for a nice read of Itcha Itcha with his back-up book.

An hour later, he heard some movement outside. Quickly finishing up, Kakashi got ready and re-hid his Makeout Paradise novel. When he exited the bathroom, Sakura sat on the edge of the bed, eyes puffy with sleep and her hair looking like a wild ball of pink.

"You should start getting ready, so we aren't late for the Daimyo's brunch."

Nodding, Sakura cleared her throat. "Yeah. The brunch."

"And as we get ready, we should discuss what we know," Kakashi went on, walking around the bed to slip his pajamas (and hidden book) into his pack.

Murmuring her agreement, Sakura grabbed her own set of clothes and walked into the bathroom. "Keep talking, I'm listening," she said as she slid the door shut.

Kakashi walked towards the door so he wouldn't have to raise his voice. "Our main targets as of now are Sato Futoshi and his father the Daimyo, Sato Tsutomo. Futoshi has already disclosed the fact that this land has an exuberant amount of wealth, which is odd considering they are, from my knowledge, a land that exports mainly flowers and other flora."

He heard snaps of buttons as Sakura negotiated her attire. "There's definitely something else that adds to this Land's income," she said. "I can try to talk to Futoshi more, he won't expect much because I'm female. If you can, you should try to get close to the daimyo and gain additional information."

"Agreed. Are you ready? Let's get going." Kakashi knocked on the door.

"No!"

With a squeal, the door rattled as Sakura held the knob tightly. "We need to follow the festival's traditions!" Sakura called from behind the bathroom door.

 _Oh_. He'd forgotten what the brunch actually entailed: a day of "discovery," or re-living seeing your partner for the first time.

Although Sakura couldn't see it, Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Do we? No one will know otherwise," he claimed.

"Taking small amounts of deception out of our larger investigation will make the times where duplicity is necessary a lot easier," Sakura claimed through the door.

"I guess," Kakashi admitted. He accepted the mission, but this role he was supposed to assume, this acting made him wary. His style was more straightforward, in his own way. Others typically didn't find significance in his ways until the end, but he never played by other people's rules. Especially not in a foreign Land. But he was working with a partner, and Sakura's approach wasn't _wrong_ , so there was no real reason to fight her on this.

"Well I'm ready; I guess I'll meet you there" Kakashi said, fixing his mask.

Sakura grumbled through the door, something about _damn dresses_. "Yes, but one more thing: I think later today we should take a look around the immediate area of the village, perhaps at night to get a better lay of land and figure out what we have to work with. We might spot something suspicious we want to investigate more thoroughly at another time."

Kakashi nodded at first before realizing she couldn't see. "Agreed. We can discuss that after brunch." He knocked on the door. "See you in a bit."

* * *

Konoha was an exciting place to live. It was overflowing with life, love, and movement. Wherever Kakashi went in town, there would be citizens of the Leaf Village out and about enjoying whatever the day had to offer. But Kakashi also knew everyone there. Or rather, everyone knew who _Kakashi_ was. His name carried a connotation of particular weight he couldn't exactly pinpoint. Yet somehow, everyone knew the Copy Ninja preferred silence to conversation, nods to salutations, and solitude to company. This resulted in Kakashi's walks around the village being mostly uneventful, which he was quite okay with. No one bothered him, and he could lose himself on the path of life.

Here, it was a different story.

On his walk to the palace, Kakashi's mere appearance elicited shopkeepers from behind their stands, shoving jewelry and fruits into his palms. Girls giggled and waved from behind fans; families attempted to stop and talk to him. It was overwhelming, and only his ninja training kept his blood pressure from rising.

Eventually, Kakashi found himself at the top of the hill on the other side of town on which the palace rested. He also found himself carrying a bouquet of daisies, but he didn't recall ever paying for the bundle.

Shoving a free hand in his pocket, Kakashi slouched in front of the large wooden doors of the wall that surrounded the inner palace commons. Futoshi hadn't given him any more directions beyond appearing at the palace around this time. Kakashi hoped he wasn't late, he knew that was one of his more annoying tendencies.

Suddenly the doors parted, being pushed by a pair of armored guards. Out walked Futoshi adorned in a bright red suit jacket and tight black pants, arms open and receiving.

"Ah, Kakashi! Welcome, welcome. Most of our guests entered through the side door, but when I was told some lonesome man was waiting outside our main gate, I knew it must be you. Please, join us."

He gestured for Kakashi to trail behind him, returning to the inner portion of the fence. Acting timid, Kakashi bowed his head and followed, all the while taking notes on the security in place. From what he could tell at a superficial level, protection was offered by different levels of guards. The ones at the front gate had been more advanced, with callouses and broken-in clothes polished to shine. In the immediate area inside the palace walls, guards who were clearly in-training jogged around the premises, carefully watched by a general or a higher ranking official. There were some surveillance cameras, but Kakashi already saw a path to bypass them.

As Futoshi guided him through the maze entrance and around the inner buildings of the complex, more and more weary eyes trailed Kakashi's steps. Shifting his balance, Kakashi tried to hide his careful footing, a result of years of silent steps and checked body weight. Instead, he thrusted himself forward with every step, sounding like a giant in comparison to his usual stroll.

Eventually they reached a central location that housed a gigantic minka-styled building. Soldiers patrolled the area and perimeter, occasionally poking at brush around the house and elsewhere. Futoshi walked up the few stairs, and a guard opened the door for him. As Kakashi attempted to follow the lord's son, he was grabbed on the shoulder.

Before he could call out, Futoshi waved his hand. "He's with me, it's okay. He's just a harmless hopeless romantic."

The guard who held Kakashi back hesitated, just for a split second. To the untrained eye, it was almost too quick, but Kakashi felt it. But then he was released, and allowed entrance to the dining room.

A large room arched overhead, the red wood reflecting the morning sunlight every direction. In the center of the room, a long table stretched across the floor, with dozens of people sitting on cushions having pleasant conversation. Most were men, with an empty space beside them. No one turned at Futoshi approached, until the man at the head of the table noticed. Embellished in samurai-like clothing, but much less practical for fighting, the man greeted Futoshi.

"Ah, son, thank you for bringing another guest to our table. If you could show him his seat, we can get started."

 _Hm._ So that was the Daimyo. He seemed strong, with large muscles, but was otherwise unimpressive in Kakashi's mind.

"Of course, Father," Futoshi bowed his head, and led Kakashi to two empty seats, far away from the Daimyo. As Kakashi folded his legs under him, the son went to sit beside the Lord.

The Daimyo raised a glass, and everyone fell silent.

"Today, we relive one of the best time of most people's lives: the moment they met their significant other. Some of us have already been endowed with such an honor," the Daimyo tilted his glass towards a couple next to Kakashi, who blushed, "But for the rest of us, we hold onto the anticipation for our own moment. My wife, Futoshi's mother, departed from this life too soon." He cast a sad look at Futoshi. "I wish I could have shared this celebration with her, but nothing would have made her happier than to see all celebrating love. With that, let us commence our meal."

The Daimyo drank from his goblet, and everyone dug in. People around him talked about how they met each other, sharing stories of heartbreak and adventure. Kakashi took some bites, expressed intrigue in some tales, but overall was watching Futoshi and his father. They too did not take much part in the exchanges, but that was expected of hosts; they were making sure everything ran smoothly.

Little by little, more and more women trickled into the room. Fiances, girlfriends, and wives, and a few husbands surprised their partners with elaborate clothes. People laughed, cried out, and hugged upon realizing who was bothering them. Kakashi waited and waited for Sakura, but she didn't come.

He snacked on some food, but his stomach wasn't in the mood and he pushed his mask back up. Each minute that passed filled him with dread. Had they been caught? Was she in trouble?

As he was checking out the far exit, someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Sorry, sir, but is this seat taken?"

About to reject anyone who tried to sit near him, Kakashi waved a hand over the pillow. But then the familiar chakra sense wafted over him, and he looked up at the intruder.

Adorned in a bright red kimono, Sakura smiled down at him playfully, a twinkle in her eye. "Only joking," she teased him, plopping down unceremoniously beside him. She stole an edamame from his plate, popping it into her mouth. "How is it going?"

Kakashi understood what she was actually asking, and trusted her to interpret his answer accordingly. "Smoothly. Nothing too exciting yet."

"Kakashi!"

Both the copy-nin and Sakura straightened as Futoshi yelled at them across the table. "Is that the way you act when you meet a pretty woman for the first time?" He gestured in questioning.

 _Ugh_. Why were people so obsessed with ritualistic romance? Kakashi didn't have time for that in real life, and while the assignment required him to act a certain part, it didn't mean he had to change fundamental aspects of his personality.

"It's alright, Futoshi," Sakura called back, smiling at the entire table, as all eyes were on them now. _Great_. Sakura leaned into Kakashi, knocking his shoulder with her own. "The first time we met, he actually called me an idiot!" Sakura smirked at Kakashi as guests around them reacted either in disbelief or in amusement.

Kakashi stared wide-eyed at her, exposing more pupil then he had in ages. "Really? I don't remember that." _Had he really told a group of 12 year olds they were idiots?_

Something evil sparked in Sakura's green eyes, and pointed at Kakashi's nose. "That's what happens when you age, old man! You forget things!" She accentuated her insult by flicking at his mask, and started laughing along with everyone else at the table.

Kakashi bristled. "I'm not _that_ much older than you, there's no reason—"

"Ahh! There it is, companionable bickering! I love it!" The Daimyo bellowed, slapping a hand on the table in rukous. "You two make quite the couple. Please, it was Kakashi and?..."

"Sakura," Sakura supplied.

"Sakura," the Daimyo sweetly repeated. "Please, enjoy yourselves. You two are welcome to anything you want. And if you don't see it, just ask"

Sakura bowed in thanks, and after being pinched Kakashi did as well.

Finally guests went back to minding their own business, and Kakashi relaxed into his pillow. He picked up his chopstick and moved around a lonesome soybean.

"Did I really say you were an idiot?" He asked Sakura quietly.

She cast him an amused glance. "Well, not _me_ specifically, more like all three of us. But yes, you did. I guess it was more impactful for me than you at the time."

Kakashi shook his head, still not believing he did such a thing. If he took on a new team now, things would be much different. He pushed the soybean some more.

Sakura frowned at Kakashi. He sensed her calculating his movements, his demeanor. She tensed, air flowing through her lungs, ready to speak to him. But she then she just shoved a dumpling on Kakashi's plate.

"Ave you tried this yet? It's really tasty, I checked." _For poisons,_ was left unsaid.

But Kakashi just pushed that to the side as well. "I'm not very hungry." He paused. And then abruptly, he said, "I think I'll go try talking to the Daimyo." He sat up, his knees cracking as he did so. _Shut up_ , he scolded his body. He really wasn't that old. He made to leave Sakura, but paused mid-walk. Sakura looked up at him, a small crease on her brows. Then Kakashi leaned down, offered her a peck on the head, and walked away.

The Daimyo was talking to a man of obvious wealth next to him, but the Daimyo was heavy-lidded, circling a finger on the rim of a wine glass. He was clearly uninterested in the topic of conversation. Perfect.

With a bow, Kakashi interrupted them. "Pardon me, but I would love to speak to the Daimyo."

The Daimyo sat up some more, thankful. "Yes, that is fine. Miko, you're excused," he waved a hand at the man who shot Kakashi a gare, but left nonetheless.

With a gesture from the Lord, Kakashi took the vacated seat.

The Daimyo smiled without at teeth, sniffing his wine glass. "You are the tantalizing Sakura's boyfriend then?"

"Fiance," Kakashi corrected, alarmed at how quickly the amendment came. He recalled how Sakura's name had slithered off of his tongue earlier, and Kakashi shivered. "Yes, I am Hata Kakashi. I wanted to thank you for letting us join you at this intimate bruch, it's very kind of you to open your home to us."

"Oh, it's nothing. Futoshi always meets nice fellows from the streets, and I trust his judgement. I hope you've enjoyed yourself here, our village has much to offer."

Kakashi leaned forward. "Yes, your village is quite beautiful. I haven't heard much about it in the past. Would you mind telling me a little bit of your history?"

The large man smiled fully this time, and then shoved a dumpling in his mouth. "Why yes, yes! I always enjoy education others about our amazing land." He gesticulated wildly, attracting a few guest's attention. Kakashi noticed Sakura's eyes wander from a male companion next to her to the Daimyo. The man kept talking, not even realizing Sakura was barely paying attention to his rambling. When she raised an eyebrow at Kakashi, the shinobi simply looked away.

"Long ago, our land was actually apart of one of the greater lands. Which one, you might ask?" The Daimyo shook a finger at Kakashi, flicking some soy sauce on his mask. "That was the debate. Fire, Earth; no one actually knows who we belonged to. The two great nations fought over us constantly, desiring our fertile and prosperous land. Although the warriors always took great lengths to protect our fields, our citizens eventually got fed up."

Wiping off his mask discreetly, Kakashi said, "That seems reasonable."

As if Kakashi hadn't spoken, the Daimyo kept talking without pause. "After our own villagers started protesting and rioting, both Fire and Earth grew angry at us. First, they tried to force us to continue working the land. But when that didn't work, they tried to coerce us."

"Why did they not simply cultivate the land themselves?" Kakashi asked.

"Ah! A bright boy, this one!" The Daimyo slapped Kakashi on the shoulder. "You have the mind of strategist, I see. But a true strategist knows all their information, so perhaps you are not as advanced as you think. Us Mountain Stream people are the caretakers of a special strain of bacteria that enhances the soil here. Only we know the technique to keep them alive, and once we issued an ultimatum of destroying every last one, both the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth vacated. Now, we are free."

Kakashi had to say, he was impressed such a small land manipulated two of the largest lands. "That is truly amazing."

The Daimyo nodded. Tapping his temple, his brow furrowed as he became serious. "Together, a strong will and strong mind can overcome much."

"You are very wise," Kakashi praised him with a small bow. "I am sure you are teaching your son such important lessons, preparing him to one day take your place."

The Daimyo sighed. "I wish he would listen to me long enough to absorb anything I say. I'm afraid he takes after his mother much more, with his head in the clouds."

"That's an admirable trait," Kakashi found himself defending. "You mentioned Futoshi's mother… You said she passed too soon."

The Daimyo's intonation completely changed. "Indeed I did." He grew sullen, retreating from the conversation.

That just piqued Kakashi's interest.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened? Does Futoshi have any memory of her?"

Abruptly, the Daimyo stood. Out of respect, everyone stopped talking and stood with him.

"This conversation is over. As well as this brunch," he raised his voice. "Thank you for coming, but I am suddenly feeling tired. See you all for more festivities later." He bowed, and left without waiting for reciprocation.

Silence followed the quick exit of the lord Daimyo, but everyone soon followed suit. Glaring daggers at Kakashi, Sakura swiftly arrived next to him as they were escorted out.

"What did you say to him?" She whispered under her breath, displeasure in her voice.

"It wasn't what I said; it was what I asked. He was very dodgy about Futoshi's mother. I think we should look into it." Kakashi eyed the guards as they pushed them out of the palace grounds.

Sakura kicked a stick in the road as they turned onto the main road that led to their quarters. "Well the death of a mother or a loved one can be very traumatic, sometimes people never want to confront the pain of retelling the story of a passing," Sakura said.

 _Indeed_ , Kakashi thought, recalling all of own losses. But he didn't want to think about that, perhaps proving her point exactly. Instead, he said "How very analytical. Your medical training is showing."

Sakura shrugged. "It's a part of me, what can I say?"

"Well _I_ say it's something worth investigating further."

"Fine," Sakura agreed. "It's not like we have any other leads. Let me change, and we can ask around."

* * *

They spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the village, aptly questioning anyone willing to strike up a conversation about the Daimyo's late wife. Most were excited to talk to who Futoshi had apparently been calling "the most attractive couple to ever grace his presence," but once Futoshi's mother was mentioned, discourse fell flat.

The most they had gotten out of any one talk was her name.

"Oh, no, no," the jeweler had waved his hands, now ushering Sakura away from the bracelet stand. "We don't talk about Momoka here. I think I'm going to take a break now, but if you would like to purchase anything, please come back later." And he closed the store behind them.

They now sequestered at a local pub, hiding in the shadows of a far booth.

"Why is everyone so afraid to talk to us about Momoka?" Sakura whispered, circling a finger over her cup of sake. From what Kakashi could tell, she'd inherited her shishou's affinity for alcohol, but somehow despite her small size built up a tolerance to combat Genma's.

"It is weird. I think we should keep poking at it, see if anything else comes up."

"It's worth a shot," Sakura agreed. She eyed Kakashi's own small cup. "Are you going to drink?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't have the best resilience when it comes to sake, but I suppose a sip wouldn't hurt." He raised the cup to his face, and Sakura's eyes widened as she leaned forward over the table. He heard her breathing stop as the lip of the cup drew ever closer to himself. Kakashi poured the sake through his mask with expertise, and sighed placing down the now-lighter cup. Sakura relaxed against the table, sighing with disappointment.

"What was that about?" Kakashi asked, trying to downplay the intrige in his voice.

"I can't believe you drink without taking your mask off," Sakura muttered, downing her sake and looking away.

"Oh," Kakashi chuckled. "Still on that? It's been so long since you and Sasuke and Naruto tried to get me to remove it. What a day." Kakashi sat back, smiling. They were so foolish, back then. Sakura just glared at him, clutching her empty sake cup in front of her face. "Is that why you tried to shove food on my plate during brunch?"

"Maybe," Sakura mumbled. "What did you think I was doing? Being a dutiful fiance?"

"If you subscribe to societal heteronormativity, sure," Kakashi said. "But why didn't you simply take a peak while we were eating ramen?"

Confusion, recollection, surprise, and then anger all passed over Sakura's face within a few seconds. "Oh my Kami…" she slapped her face. "I didn't even think of it then, I was too fixated on Futoshi…"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I supposed he is handsome."

Sakura dragged her hand down her face, pulling some skin down to give her a dead-looking gaze. "He is, but that's not what I meant. I was actually focusing on getting information out of him, thank you very much." She straightened at her seat, eyes draining of the playfulness they'd had before. "I'm going to get more sake." She hastily made her way to the bar, not looking back at Kakashi.

The gray-haired shinobi felt a little bad at the false accusation, but what else was he supposed to think? Before, Sakura had only one thing on her mind: proving herself to Sasuke. He figured she could have changed, but it was easier to fall into old habits. He decided to really try and expect more from her, especially after their heart-to-heart the previous night.

As he waited for Sakura to return to the table, Kakashi's awareness heightened as three burly men approached his lonesome table. They each wore torn t-shirts, exposing their bulging biceps and extensive tattoos. Kakashi refused to acknowledge them until the leader banged his hand on the table.

Calmly, Kakashi peered up at the man, a deadpan expression on his face.

"May I help you?"

Hitching his hands into his pants, the man announced, "It's tradition for any newbie that walks in this bar to arm wrestle all of us."

"Oh?" Kakashi replied, eyes dispassionate.

"Yup," a smaller man besides the leader affirmed. Another one snickered, elbowing his brethren. "If you win, we buy you a round. If we win, you buy everyone in this bar a round."

The trio clearly considered Kakashi an idiot, there was no way this was tradition, or else this bar would be a lot emptier than it was. They were simply picking on a frail looking foreigner. Or at least someone that looked frail under bulky clothes.

"That hardly seems fair," Kakashi noted. "There's many more of you guys than me. I'll tire myself out."

The men shrugged. "That's the way it is. Take it, or beat it."

"I'll take you up on that."

The four men looked around confused, until they all realized the voice came from a tiny person behind the locals. They turned, revealing a Sakura holding a fresh bottle of sake, looking angry at the aggressive men.

The men side-eyed each other. "That hardly seems lady like," one finally said, attempting to laugh off her claim.

Sakura's demeanor changed. "Alright, let's go." After pushing passed the men forcefully, she slid into place besides Kakashi in the booth. Tossing the sake bottle to the older shinobi, she scrunched up her sleeve, perching an elbow on the table. Hand splayed, she looked at the men expectantly. "Well? Are you afraid of a little girl?"

Now thoroughly uncomfortable, the men shifted from foot to foot. They couldn't refuse, or else their manlihood would be harmed. But they couldn't accept a duel from a woman that was meant for a man.

Right?

Kakashi shook his head. Frail men. It was pathetic.

Sakura sensed their internal battle, for she sighed and said, "Okay, how about I sweeten the deal? If you beat me, I'll give you a kiss. If I beat you, you have to give me what I want."

Her phrasing dramatically piqued the men's interest. "And what is it that you want?" The leader said, leaning closer to Sakura suggestively.

"Sakura," Kakashi found himself warning the kunoichi. The redolent way Sakura and the man were handling themselves irked Kakashi in a way he couldn't precisely explain.

Sakura eyed Kakashi, her countenance still empty when speaking to him. "It's all right. I got this."

Kakashi had no other choice but to watch when the man straightened, placing his hands on his hips and laughed. "Okay, little girl. I accept your challenge." The other fellows laughed at Sakura, summoning bristles on Kakashi's spine. They didn't know what they were in for.

The first of the trio, the smallest, shoved Kakashi deeper into the booth in order to sit across from Sakura. He slammed his elbow on the table, giving Sakura a naughty smirk.

"I'll try to go easy on you."

Sakura smirked back. "How kind."

They clasped hands, and the battle began. They stared each other down, each smiling, until the man's face changed. He looked from this intertwined palms, back to Sakura, eyes wide. He tried to push a little harder, but the pink-haired girl didn't budge. She looked at her other hand, as if she was contemplating getting a manicure as the man tried to move her arm. Kakashi could smell the sweat forming on the man's forehead before it formed, and he shook his head.

 _She's probably not even using any chakra yet,_ Kakashi thought.

Finally, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Enough is enough." After blowing a kiss to her challenger, she summoned a bit more strength and slammed his hand upside down on the table, signifying her victory.

There was stunned silence from the men.

"What? Impossible. Let me try," the second one exclaimed. Tearing his friend from the booth, he sat down in front of Sakura, raising his hand expectantly.

Sakura just shrugged. "Let's do this."

And as for most idiots, history repeated itself. As Kakashi started fumbling with the unopened bottle of sake Sakura had brought earlier, Sakura won without trying, and now the leader was angry.

"Is this some trick?" He replaced his friend as challenger, and glared at Sakura. "I'll figure you out. There's no way you can beat me."

Sakura smirked, enjoying herself now. "Wanna bet?"

 _I've never seen Sakura like this before,_ Kakashi realized, taking a sip of the sake. _Damn_. What was it? She'd picked out some really good brand.

"Urhhhhgggg!" Kakashi heard the leader growl out. Looking up, Kakashi noted they'd drawn a crowd now. Well, Sakura had. No one was really noticing him. Instead, a group of at least 20 was watching, mystified at the small woman that was besting this men in an arm wrestling contest.

As predicted, Sakura finally got bored and decided to end it. The man clutched his arm, whimpering in pain as he gathered his friends and fled. Sakura blew out air from the side of her cheek. "Well that's not fair, they didn't hold up their end of the deal."

Taking another sip of Sakura, Kakashi asked, "What was it you would want anyw—"

"I want to try!" "Let me go!" Kakashi was interrupted by the crowd surging forward, arms out. Men and women alike wanted a chance to beat the baffling foreigner.

Sakura grinned. "Arlight, one at a time. You all can get a chance."

Kakashi could tell when he was out of the picture. Sighing, he took his sake bottle and shimmied underneath the booth, escaping the sweaty pack of villagers. He settled across the bar where he could maintain eyesight on his partner, but remain in the shadows.

One by one, Sakura beat the next challenger, and one by one, Kakashi downed more and more cups of sake. A sip per downhearted loser, which added up quickly.

By the time Sakura finished up her escapade, Kakashi had gone through the entire bottle, plus a half left by a bystander. Sakura stood up on the table, and thrust her fist in the air to the shouts of the bar.

"Sa-ku-ra! Sa-ku-ra!" They cheered for her.

With the biggest smile on her face, Kakashi was astounded to realize _this_ was her element. Not on a team that doesn't believe in her, not in the lab, alone, but proving to herself and others that she was formidable. And she glowed.

"I have to go soon," she announced. The bar booed. "Don't worry, though! I have a few questions, if someone could answer for me before I leave." Everyone started talking at once, clamoring to get a few seconds with her, and she laughed as she hopped down from the booth.

With her short height, Kakashi lost visual on Sakura. He tried to stand up to find her, but a wave of distortion rose from his stomach to his head.

"Whoa…" he sat back down, defeated. Then he giggled. What a night his had turned into. He couldn't remember the last time he dranken like this… it was probably when he was in Anbu, being hazed. But that wasn't as fun as this.

Kakashi didn't know how long he waited, but by the time Sakura emerged from a dispersing crowd, he rested his head on an outstretched arm, which was losing feeling from carrying his weight.

"There you are," Sakura said, looking worried. She stopped in front of him, cocking her head. "Are you okay?"

"Just dandy!" kakashi exclaimed, giving her a thumbs up. " _So_ good…"

Ignoring Kakashi, Sakura's eyes widened. "How much did you drink?" She extended her hand to start examining Kakashi's eyes, but he waved her away.

"Dosnt mattr. Didyu have fun?" Kakashi slurred out.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yes, but I also got information. Futoshi's mother didn't just die, she was _killed_. By a Leaf Ninja."

"Leaf Ninja?" Kakashi repeated, lifting his head. That resulted in an outstanding pounding in his brain, and he put pressure on his eye. "Aren't we?..."

"Yes, but don't say that outloud, idiot! We need to go," Sakura decided. Shoving the sake away rom Kakashi, she slung his arm around her shoulders, dragging him away from the booth. It took a while, but Kakashi finally found his footing and helped Sakura hold his body upright.

"Kinda like N'gto," Kakashi muttered.

"My thought exactly," Sakura whispered back. "I'm surprised you could make the connected so wasted."

"I'm surpris'd I underestimated you," Kakashi said, feeling slightly better with some movement. "I should've guessed your motives for the hiccup challengers."

"That's okay. It took awhile for Tsunade to stop underestimating me. I don't think Sasuke will ever stop underestimating me."

"Well he should. You r'lly have grown inta fine shinobi." _And not a bad woman, either_.

"You already said that," Sakura smirked.

"I know," Kakashi sighed, throwing an arm in front of him, as if it added _umph_ to his statement. "But I thought it was worth mentioning again."

Sakura laughed, and Kakashi found himself started to enjoy the pleasant noise. "Gosh, sensei. You really can't hold your alcohol."

Aggravated, kakashi shoved Sakura away, stumbling as he tried to collect his balance. "I told you not to call me that," he mumbled. He shook his head, trying to sober up, but it just started a headache. "Besides, with the firework show tonight, I thought we could be sneaky without worrying about our noise levels."

Sakura shook her head. "Even with your mind muddled, you're still sharper than most. But I don't think you can control your body right now, and don't question me on that," she pointed at him as he started to react. "It's simply science. How about I get you to bed, and i do the sneaky part?"

"You? Alone?" Kakashi narrowed her eyes at her, then tripped on a pebble. Sakura reached out instinctively to catch him before he fell, but he could sense the tension in her body.

"What? You don't trust me?" Indignation was barely restrained in her voice.

Kakashi knew he had to tread carefully, but in his intoxicated state, he couldn't hold back his next words. "No. It's just… I'd rather be with you. You're fun, and I like hanging out."

Sakura's grasps on his arms squeezed. She certainly hadn't been expecting that admission. Although if she thought about it, she couldn't be surprised that the older shinobi would be accustomed to never sharing his personal thoughts on anything. That's just who Kakashi was. But now… she was in the center of a rare moment of a lapse of Kakashi's cognitive abilities. Deciding to take advantage, Sakura asked, "I still don't understand why I was chosen to be on this mission with you. How much do I really know about you?" She asked.

"Obviously, my ramen order," Kakashi mumbled through his mask. She was losing him to the alcohol.

The atmosphere deflated with Sakura's exhale. "That's not enough."

But either Kakashi didn't hear her, or he was too far gone now, as they walked the rest of the way in silence. The gray-haired man was _heavy_ despite his lean stature, and but Sakura had no trouble carrying him into the room and depositing him (aka throwing him) onto the bed.

Kakashi yipped out in slight pain, and growled as he tried to move his limbs in a more comfortable position. Sighing once more, Sakura figured she should arrange some things for him in the morning. She collected a glass of water, and found a pill to place on the nightstand from her medkit. By the time she returned to the bed, Kakashi was actually sitting up, but staring at the opposite wall.

"Okay," Sakura announced, hands on her hips. "I'll place a jutsu on the room to keep you in and others out, so you should be safe. I think you'll be fine, and will feel much better in the morning."

With a shift of his body, Kakashi turned to the side to face the other shinobi. He stared at her, sending waves of intention until she relented and shifted her eyes to meet his.

"I'm not particularly close to anyone, Sakura," Kakashi told her. "And you're very observational… I have a feeling you know more about myself than I tried to let you in on."

 _What? Oh, he must still be on their previous conversation topic._ As much as she wanted to pry, Sakura needed to. She had a mission to do.

"It's time for bed, sensei." She drew the covers over her former instructor.

"Don't… don't call me…" Sleep was quickly taking Kakashi, and it was pretty adorable. His eyes drooped more so than usual, and his mask was starting to fall down his face. Out of respect, Sakura reached out to lift the face covering back up; but Kakashi caught her hand mid-air. Electricity coursed through her arm, and fear struck her heart. Had she crossed some boundary that she shouldn't have? She recalled the light brush of his lips on her seal from brunch; although obstructed by a mask, she didn't think straight the next couple of minutes.

"Sakura," Kakashi breathed, eyes barely open.

"Yes?" What could he want? He was so vulnerable right now, and it was starting to mess with Sakura's mind.

"At least… at least take Pakkun."

 _Pakkun? One of his closest friends?_ "No, I couldn't." Sakura insisted. She couldn't be a bother to the dog.

"Please," Kakashi said, summoning the strength to open his right eye. It was out of focus, but Sakura could see the intensity behind his gaze. "It would make me feel better to know someone was with you. I know you can handle yourself, but…" his hand released Sakura, and with a snap a scroll appeared in his palm. Sakura had forgotten about his grasp on her, and immediately the cold sent shivers up her spine.

He dropped the scroll on his bed as his hand lost stamina. "You know what to do," and the ninja finally lost consciousness.

"I do," Sakura said, standing with the scroll over her chest. "Sleep well… Kakashi."

 _Author's note_ : WOW this was a long one, haha. Hope it was okay! Things are starting to get kicked up a notch. Please let me know what you think!

kayna96, I agree! Kakashi really needs to get over himself, the big fool XD

sahisony1, I am as well. So glad you are enjoying this so far!


	6. Chapter 6

_author's note: sorry for the long wait, i was trying to do Sakura's POV justice. Hope it's good! And thanks for all of the reviews, it means a lot :)_

Sakura surmised what Kakashi wanted from her, so after the old shinobi passed out, she gently took his hand, palm up. It was so large compared to hers, so rough and calloused from years of service. It had been through more than she could imagine, and yet she still handled it with the utmost care as if it would break with the slightest pressure.

Taking out a kunai knife, Sakura pressed down on his forefinger, releasing a small flow of dark red. Unfolding the scroll Kakashi had given her, she deftly stained the parchment with Kakashi's blood. Scroll in hand, she recalled the proper hand signs as she walked out of the bedroom. Once in the living space, she whispered, "Summoning jutsu!"

Slapping her hand on the floor, the seal appeared, and with a puff of smoke, Pakkun was sitting on the ground, looking up at Sakura in confusion.

"Will Kakashi not be joining us?"

Turning away, Sakura shook her head. "Not this time," she explained, leaving to grab her tools from a kitchen cabinet. "It's just you, me, and this village at night."

"Sounds like fun. Let's go."

* * *

After shedding her usual red blazer for a more night-appropriate outfit, the dog and the ninja set off to investigate the village grounds. Sakura was sure people would question her walking around late at night without her partner, so she decided to stick to the shadows to start off.

Pakkun was content to let her take the lead at first, which both excited and frightened Sakura. She'd never ranked highest on a mission unless it was in the hospital. But she wouldn't let Pakkun down; she wouldn't let Kakashi down.

Her first destination was the palace. Thanks to Kakashi, she knew where the security cameras were placed, and how frail the guard detail was in the royal grounds. Infiltration would be easy, especially with such a minimal group.

Expeditiously, the pair reached the main palace walls. Two guards walked the perimeter here, so Pakkun and Sakura waited in the bushes nearby until their shift was over.

Apparently the dog thought they were out of earshot, since he struck up conversation.

"How has it been working for Kakashi-kun?"

Keeping an eye on the two guards, Sakura responded, "Interesting so far, I suppose. He hasn't changed that much in regards to wanting to work mostly by himself, even if he always preaches about teamwork." A guard sneezed.

"Ah, yes," the dog agreed. "That is one of his faults. He sees the value in sharing, but finds it hard to do so himself." Pakkun scratched the back of his ear. "But he tries."

"I know," Sakura found herself saying, only half-paying attention to the words streaming from her mouth. "I guess I do know that. He did mention he wished he could be here now… but with the circumstances, I thought that unwise."

The dog almost replied back but was withheld with a hand from Sakura. The guards were about to move. She rose from her crouch, and the second the guards turned the corner, she was off. Summoning chakra to her feet, she scaled the vertical wall with ease, leapt over the barrier, and landed without a sound on the other side. Pakkun followed suit a mere second later.

After a quick awareness, Sakura concluded they were near the bathing quarters of the palace. "Come on," she whispered. "Follow me, I know a safe route to the residential area. But let me know if you scent anyone approaching."

The dog woofed back, signaling his understanding.

The darkness of the night blanketed the palace grounds, the small sliver of the moon offering little relief. But the fireworks were scheduled to start soon, so Sakura wasn't concerned about visibility. However with better sight came a higher probability of discovery. A ninja's life was full of win-lose scenarios.

Step by step, Sakura stayed in the shadows, using chakra to muffle her movements. They avoided cameras, guard patterns, and any other resident that was found roaming the area. Eventually they made their way past the dining area, and reached the residential suites.

Perched on a roof, Sakura knelt down next to Pakkun. "This is where I think we would find something, if anything," Sakura claimed. "Here." She removed a piece of cloth from a front pocket. "I took this from Futoshi a little while back, but hopefully some scent will remain. He should be close to the Daimyo's quarters. Want to have a go?"

The dog padded forward and sniffed the fabric. With a nod, he was off.

The path to Futoshi's bedroom was convoluted, as the son seemed to get around. But eventually, they reached a living space that Pakkun was certain was Futoshi's.

"His scent is most concentrated here, it must be where he sleeps. Nothing else would smell like this," Pakkun explained.

"Great. Let's go." Sakura slid down the side of the building, landing just outside of the front entrance.

"Father! The fireworks are going to start any minute!" Futoshi's voice came from inside.

"Calm down, Futoshi," a disgruntled Daimyo said. "I know. Let me just finish writing this… ring for your servant."

The sound of a bell emanated from the room, and Sakura in a rush Pakkun behind a brush, quickly using a jutsu to hide their presence. A tired-looking servant exited a room connected to Futoshi's quarters and walked from across the way to Futoshi's area.

"How may I be of service, my Lord?" The servant asked from the doorway.

"Let's take this outside," the Daimyo responded. Sakura eyed Pakkun who returned the same curious gaze.

The Daimyo exited, looking extravagant as always. But he didn't seem to care about the festivities planned for the night, he was worrying with a scroll in his hands.

"Take this to the perimeter with speed. They'll know what to do. Be back before Futoshi does later tonight." He handed over the small scroll.

The servant bowed, and moved to depart.

"That was weird. One of us should follow," Pakkun noted quietly.

"I agree, but how will we know where or when to meet up?" Sakura asked, feeling antsy. That exchange was definitely something to investigate further, but they couldn't give up a chance to search Futoshi's things on such an opportune night.

"I'll go, and if something is happening, I'll summon you."

"What? You'll summon me?" Sakura broke her concentration of watching the Daimyo to look at the small pug. "You can do that?"

"I may be Kakashi's summon and it may have been Kakashi's blood, but it was your chakra that summoned me earlier. Which gives me one summon myself. A summon for a summon. This is a two-way deal, Sakura," the pug explained. "But I'll lose his scent if I wait any longer. See you soon." The dog shimmied from her arms and scurried after the servant, leaving Sakura alone.

 _Well, alright,_ Sakura thought. Maybe that was why Kakashi was always late; he had to come back from wherever his dogs had summoned him randomly. But that didn't seem likely. She hoped her former sensei was doing okay, and not choking on his own vomit. With that mask, it would be hard not to suffocate. Perhaps she should have taken it off, snuck a peak under the guise. It would have been for his own good, so what if she got something out of the deal?...

No. Why was she daydreaming of what Kakashi looked like under his mysterious mask? She needed to focus. He wasn't daydreaming material anyways. Wasn't he like a billion years old? Although he certainly didn't show it. In fact, despite his lazy demeanor, he was much more in shape than other ninjas just becoming chunin now. And then she remembered the soft kiss on her forehead; the way he had clung to her before she left him…

No! Sakura slapped herself to kick out of it.

"Hello?"

Futoshi and Daimyo had descended the steps from Futoshi's room, and the two were looking around for the source of the sound. "Is someone there?" The Daimyo called out.

 _Shit._ _Shit shit shit._ Sakura fell to the ground, making herself flat. She couldn't be the reason this mission fell apart; she would _not_ be the cause of their cover being blown. Back on Team 7, she never felt useful. She'd always get knocked out quickly, or Sasuke had to rescue her. Well, this time, neither of those things would happen. She'd gained Kakashi's confidence, _finally_ , after years, and she wasn't about to lose it tonight.

"Hello?" Futoshi repeated as the Daimyo started walking around. The footsteps grew closer and closer, until —"Father, I don't think anyone is here. Let's just go."

The father examined his son, stoic as a statue. Crossing his hands in front of his body, he said, "If you wish, son." Sakura shivered at the disapproving tone, but the Daimyo listened to his child and returned by his side. "Let's go enjoy the show."

Sakura waited a few minutes more after she stopped hearing their footfalls, and then pushed up to her own feet.

"Okay, Futoshi. Let's see what you got."

* * *

Apparently, it wasn't much.

Even after what felt like half an hour of rummaging through Futoshi's artifacts, Sakura was still coming up short. She'd found a few notes here and there describing preparations for the festival, some lists of diplomat's likes and dislikes, but nothing incriminating.

Mostly, Futoshi's room was littered in doodles.

Drawings of plants, animals and people lined his walls, were crumbled into balls on his desk, and layered in stacks in his drawers. It seemed they had a potential artist in the family, or at least someone who was more interested in that than ruling a Land. Sakura actually felt a little bad for Futoshi. His passion surely was not being received well by his father.

With a last sweep, including using a jutsu designed to reveal any hidden locks, Sakura figured there wasn't much to see here.

She decided she should try her chances at the Daimyo's quarters, even if it was riskier. She scurried around the area until she found a house heavily guarded. There was no sneaking into this area. Should she use genjutsu? No, if they found out alarms would be signaled. That was too risky. Maybe...

Sakura used a few hand signs. "Transformation jutsu!"

With a poof, she changed into a chambermaid, arms full of new sheets. She walked around, until she discovered a sleeping quarters about twice the size of Futoshi's, with three times the number of guards. Mustering up confidence, she trotted up the steps, not paying any attention to the soldiers.

Just as her foot hovered above the first set of stairs, a guard caught her shoulder. "Halt! Who are you, and what do you want?"

Acting as if the man was a complete idiot (it wasn't hard, she just pretended he was Naruto), Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious? I need to change the Lord's bedding."

The guard looked disturbed, catching the eye of a fellow guard. "Didn't he already get his room cleaned earlier today?"

Now, Sakura huffed. "He likes them changed twice a day, of course. You know how he is. Now, if you are refusing me, who do I talk to to let the Daimyo know his personal guard is responsible for his sleeping in dirty sheets tonight?"

Immediately the guard paled and backed away, signaling the okay to the others. "No one, no one, miss. Please, go in."

Bowing in thanks, Sakura continued.

In complete contrast to Futoshi's room, the Daimyo's was spotless. Sakura wasn't too far off in her ruse in claiming the Daimyo liked things clean; no wonder her act had worked so well. In fact, it seemed he hardly kept any personal affairs besides a single photograph of his family while his wife was still alive.

There was no way Sakura doubted her shishou, but perhaps the Land of Mountain Streams really wasn't planning anything nefarious.

And then Sakura felt her whole body lurch.

She thought her diaphragm stopped working, and her world went white. She tried to chakra scan herself, but her hands weren't responding; now she couldn't think, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't—

"Oof!"

With a hard thud, Sakura landed flat on the ground. Her face planted into some mud, splattering across her hair.

But she could breathe.

Reaching out, she clutched grass under her hands, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, it takes a little getting used to."

Angling her head awkwardly, Sakura saw Pakkun sitting right in front of her on his hind legs, looking down a bit smugly. "Once you've gone through the process a few times, you get more elegant at landing on your feet."

" _That's_ what being summoned feels like?" Sakura grumbled. The dog nodded.

"Now, get up on your feet, I found something interesting." In the process of getting onto his own feet, Pakkun kicked more mud onto Sakura's face. With a violent exhale, Sakura hefted herself up and scurried after the swift dog. As she caught up with him, she took the time to gather her surroundings. It seemed they were now beyond the outer walls of the village, near the fields that supplied the people with food.

Pakkun took the trees, and Sakura summoned chakra to her feet for silent climbing. As the fireworks cackled above them, workers in the paddies continued the farming dutifully. Sakura knew people needed to eat, even during times of celebration, but why were there so many? Especially this late at night? It didn't seem right.

A few minutes into the journey through the trees, Pakkun stopped where they had a good view of a particularly odd patch of workers. He nodded his head to the people below. "Look down there. What do you see them planting?"

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura tried to determine what the men and women on the ground were doing. But even with the flashes of light the fireworks offered, she couldn't make out anything.

She shook her head. "No clue."

Pakkun growled. "Well, I can't see, but I can smell it. It's certainly not anything edible, nor something meant to be eaten. Why waste resources?"

Crouching on the branch, Sakura agreed. "Especially in a village so small, they don't have a huge availability of land to cultivate. I'm going to get closer."

"Sakura, no—"

But before Pakkun could finish his objection, Sakura hopped down from the security of the branch. Passed the tree line, there was no cover. Regardless, Sakura treaded away from her partner.

Diligent as always, no one noticed a black blob move slowly from the bushes.

She moved just a few feet away, trying to get closer to the hoed fields. The patch next to her was already sprouting, but nothing was identifiable about the plant.

"Did you see this?"

Sakura stilled as a worker about twenty yards away walked up to a fellow farmer, something in his hand.

"New instructions. We need to try and harvest more quickly."

The man receiving the orders bristled, slapping his gloves together to remove dirt. "How? We are growing as fast as we can." He tore open the scroll, reading it quickly.

The messenger shrugged. "The details are in here, I guess. Take a look for yourself. But my wife is waiting at home, and I'd like to enjoy the fireworks with my family, even if it's just for a little bit."

In a hurry, Sakura retreated back into the trees just before the man started walking towards her, pulling off his dirtied overshirt and removing his gloves. Pakkun soon arrived next to her.

"Well? Learn anything?"

Sakura held up a finger. "Wait here just a second." She kept an eye on the worker who received the scroll, who upon finishing up readint the message let out an annoyed growl. Rolling it back haphazardly, he shoved it into his back pocket, exposing the scroll to the world.

Perfect.

Not letting her eyes leave the disgruntled worker, Sakura climbed down the trees once more, crawling from her hiding place. Bit by bit, she tiptoed closer and closer to the worker, who had resumed planting more seeds in an aggravated manner. She closed the distance between her and the worker, who bent at his waist, displaying his butt in the air.

 _Just… a little more…_ Sakura stretched out her hand as far as it could go. Her fingers brushed the top of the scroll… _yes!_ She grasped it.

"Huh?"

The man turned around to see nothing. Scratching the back of his head, he went back to work.

Sakura panted on the branch, back to the trunk. Pakkun crawled onto her legs, shaking his head. "That was too close."

Smiling through her inhales, Sakura laughed. "Don't underestimate the speed at which I can use the flicker technique, Pakkun. But here, now we have this." She opened the scroll so both of them could see it.

It meant nothing to Sakura. The lines made sounds, syllables were strung together, but it didn't have any meaning.

"It's encoded," Pakkun voiced what both had assumed.

Trying to contain her disappointment, Sakura moved Pakkun from her legs. "Then we'll just have to try and decipher it." Brushing off her boots, she stood up. "For now, I think we've done enough. I should get back to Kakashi and make sure he didn't die."

"I'll go back with you. You fancy a walk under a nice fireworks display?"

"Sure," Sakura smiled down at the dog. The two took off through the trees.

* * *

Turns out, the main square of the village was were everyone went to view the fireworks, so Pakkun and Sakura had the entire streets to their own. Feeling free, the dog talked without reservation.

"...and then he threw Gai into the river, complaining how he should know better then to borrow one of his Itcha Itcha without asking!"

Sakura held back a loud chortle, clutching at her stomach. "I knew Kakashi was crazy about his disgusting books, but really?! Poor Gai Sensei!"

"I know, I know. He felt bad afterwards, and let Gai win the next three challenges," Pakkun admitted with a laugh.

The two fell into amicable silence, walking side by side. Sakura shifted the scroll in his hands, considering her next words carefully. She knew how loyal dogs could be from hanging out with Kiba. And these ninken were bonded to Kakashi on a whole different level. But she could still try. So, timidly, she asked, "Kakashi says I know him better than most… but I still wonder a lot about him."

The soft click of Pakkun's nails on the cobblestone slowed down. "There is a lot to wonder about," the dog agreed. "Young Hatake has had a hard life, and is not quick to share his struggles." He paused, taking in Sakura. She looked at the scroll, but her mind was distant.

Perhaps Kakashi would not approve of certain boundaries to be overstepped, but the dog didn't fear any repercussions. He took care of Kakashi as if he were his own pup after Sakumo passed away. How was this any different?

After taking a deep inhale, the dog captured Sakura's attention. "But he wasn't talking about knowing him in the past, he was talking about how you know him now." Sakura's eyes widened. "You've absorbed his tendencies, balanced out his flaws. In time, you will also understand his past." _I would bet Bull's collar on it,_ the dog thought.

The pink-haired ninja nodded, determination and excitement that flashing behind her emerald eyes that gave the dog validation for revealing insight of his master. "I hope so. But is there anything you can offer me? Just a little bone, perhaps?

Pakkun almost-smiled at the pun. But what he said did not offer any joy. "All I can say is that Kakashi has lost almost everyone, and now is very careful letting anyone else in. His hard demeanor isn't a way to push people away, it is a way to protect his own heart. Reticence came as a necessity, not a choice."

Sakura pulled the scroll closer to her chest, following behind step of her companion. "Oh. That's awful."

"Indeed," the dog agreed, taking the lead just as they arrived at their motel. Turning his head, he looked back at Sakura with a warm gaze. "But I'm hopeful his future will not be as gloomy."

Leaving Sakura without further explanation, he pawed open the door and went to find Kakashi.

* * *

Kakashi woke up with a hangover. That had never happened before.

It took many minutes for Kakashi to pry his eyes open, and even more for them to focus on anything in the room. His head pounded, his mind was blurry, and he was utterly and completely embarrassed. Last night seemed like a distant memory of an unworthy breakfast; he remembered that he'd eaten, he remembered where he'd eaten, but he couldn't remember how the breakfast felt upon being eaten.

Maybe it wasn't the best analogy. Give him a break, he was exhausted.

Grousing, Kakashi sat up in bed, covering his mouth when some bile rose in his throat. His heart froze. He patted at his face, then relaxed with a sigh. His mask was still in place.

Blowing onto his hand, Kakashi sniffed his palm.

"Ugh!" He twisted away, disgusted at his own breath. Shuffling out of bed, he stumbled into the bathroom. The mirror unveiled what a mess he looked like: his gray hair stuck up about a foot into the air, his eyes were puffy, and his mask, although up just as his physical examination concluded, was wonky.

With a groan, Kakashi pushed the sink handle, which spouted water much more loudly than was necessary. He pulled down his mask and started brushing his teeth.

The man in the mirror gave him a deplorable look, two gray eyes marked with resentment and regret. How could he have allowed this? He'd gone too far, gotten too comfortable with Sakura. At a time like this, it put the entire mission at jeopardy.

Not anymore. Once they were back at the village, he could act normal. But for now…

Grasping at both sides of the sink, Kakashi spit in resolution. He looked up, eyes narrowed.

He pulled up his mask. For now, he'd retreat. Back into himself, back to who he was before.

For the sake of the mission.

Right?

There was a rustle at the door, and Kakashi's nerves spiked. Not caring to check his physical status, he ran to the living room, hands together prepared for the worst.

The handle turned, and Kakashi breathed in, readying his chakra. "Does this mean that Katsuyu can summon me whenever she wants?" He heard through the wood as the door turned.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Kakashi slumped. Pakkun walked through the small crack first, looking back at Sakura. "I guess so." The dog then noticed Kakashi, eyes widening. Kakashi quickly fixed himself up, standing strong when Sakura walked in.

"Ugh, so gross… snails…" she didn't realize Kakashi was waiting for her as she turned to close the door. Removing her gloves, she shivered. "Well, let's go check on our sleepy man, shall we?"

"That won't be necessary," Kakashi announced. With a yelp, Sakura jumped around. There Kakashi stood, hands tucked into his pockets with his eyes lidded as usual.

She clapped and rushed to his side. "Kakashi! You're awake! It hasn't been that long. Are you okay?" She inspected his eyes, and outright stood on her tiptoes to smell his breath.

Daintily, Kakashi pushed her away with one finger on her forehead seal. "I'm quite alright."

"Okay," Sakura said, dubious. Pulling a scroll from a pocket, Sakura waved it front of his face. "There is so much to tell you! I think we might have a lead!"

Her disclosure did not surprise Kakashi, despite the fact a burst of pride filled his chest. But he kept his face serene, trying to hold himself together. Back to his blase ways, he said, "Alright. Let's go over what you know."

Half-dismissing her, he walked to the small table in the kitchen and sat down unceremoniously. Sakura paused, trying to evaluate how to respond. Shaking her head, she joined him across the table.

In just a few minutes, she recounted everything she found, including the Daimyo's odd interaction with his son and the messenger and the events that transpired outside the confines of the village.

"But the scroll was decoded when I opened it," she explained, now removing it from its protected container. With a swing of her hand, it unwinds across the table. The familiar-looking, but unrecognizable lettering balked at her once more.

Kakashi leaned forward, hand on his chin. "Hmm. Good work. I'm glad it wasn't too much to handle."

He felt Sakura bristle at the small jibe, but she quickly let it go. "So can you decode?" She asked instead.

Closing his eye and reclining in his chair, Kakashi shrugged. "Of course. I was in ANBU, after all. We only communicated in code."

"You were in ANBU?" Sakura asked.

"So let's see what we have here…" Kakashi picked up the scroll, holding it close. He almost tried summoning chakra to his Sharingan, but caught himself before the mistake.

They spent the rest of the night looking over the scroll. Sakura tried to offer input, but this was far away from her area of expertise. Kakashi had much more experience with this subject, leaving Sakura to kick back in her chair and watch Kakashi at work.

Hours passed with the two of them across the table from one another. Kakashi covered the scroll with his upper body, elbows perched to hold himself up as he stared at the scroll. Sakura rested her head on the table top. "Do you remember the day Team Kakashi was made? After Naruto and I snagged your dumb bells?" She picked at the wood, flicking a splinter into the air.

"You mean when you lied to me, claiming to know the end of my novel?" Kakashi responded, not taking his eyes off of the scroll.

Eyes squinting, Sakura frowned. "There are no rules in the bell test. Besides, don't try to change the subject. Do you remember what you said?" She sat up in her chair attempting to command Kakashi's attention, but the man remained fixed to the scroll, finger grazing the letterings as he put a few more words together. Sakura plowed on. "You said the days of sensei and student are past. That we were now all leaf shinobi, on equal ground."

Now Kakashi paused his movement, eyes flickering up to Sakura. "What about that?"

She stared into his soul, piercing his exterior. Those emerald eyes might as well have been a new type of dojutsu. Kakashi felt as though she could see everything: his insecurity, his shame, his shunted protection. It took all of his strength not to waver.

"That's still true, right?"

Meticulously, Kakashi assayed Sakura, looking her up and down in that chair. She leaned over the table, both arms holding all of her weight lacking any pusillanimousness she once possessed as a genin. She'd done amazing tonight, gathering good intel and finding quite a promising lead. With complete certainty, Kakashi answered, "Now more than ever."

Those eyes widened, exposing Kakashi to more of her beauty, and before he got lost he retreated to his scroll, clearing his throat to regain his concentration.

Sakura believed Kakashi meant what he said, but she felt something change from before. Heading Pakkun's advice, she tried to pry into the man across the table, peeling back his layers of solitude. But every inquiry ended with a short answer, disallowing any follow up. She tried to remind herself what Pakkun said, that Kakashi is defensive out of protection, not disregard for other's feelings.

But it couldn't help but feel personal. She thought she had reached something within him, just as he fell asleep in front of her mere hours ago.

Eventually she gave up, falling asleep at the chair with Pakkun in her lap.

Kakashi watched her after she fell into a deep slumber. He could tell she was trying to gauge his actions, his responses. She was digging rather obviously. He was right; he'd gotten too open with her. And while he wanted to get closer, that wasn't what the mission was about. After the mission, he told himself. After the mission, everything will be fine.

His gaze fell on Pakkun, who sat curled up in her lap, a content smile on the small pug's face. Pakkun never sought out human contact, but obviously Sakura had done something to earn the little dog's love. Although so much older now, Sakura regained her youth in her sleep. Her hard lines from the battlefield disappeared, and she looked like the innocent girl Kakashi taught all of those years ago. But underneath, she was powerful, resolute, and strong. She was truly an amazing woman.

Pakkun looked so peaceful, head resting on Sakura's arm, face squished up against her pale skin. What Kakashi wouldn't give for that to be him, to be able to freely touch Sakura…

Wait, was he really jealous of a _dog?_

Anger made Kakashi stare back down at the scroll. He'd only gotten a few letters unscrambled. He had a lot of work to do.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's note: After a long night of decoding, Sakura and Kakashi get some breakfast... but are soon interrupted._

Sunlight pierced through the shutters of the kitchen windows, hitting Sakura at the perfect angle to ignite her hair. Pink light reflected throughout the room, casting a bright color on the paper in front of Kakashi.

Kakashi had not gotten a wink of sleep, deciding to stay at the table and work on the scroll. He felt close to figuring out the patterns, but it would still require some time. But it didn't seem he would be getting much longer: the light hit Sakura in the eye, and completely aware of every one of Sakura's movements, Kakashi braced himself for her morning malaise as she twitched awake.

"Wha-what?" She looked around, realizing she never returned to the bedroom. The blanket covering her small body came into focus, and she peered up at Kakashi with a perplexed smile but the man refused to look up from his work.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

"Good morning," she responded in kind. "Where's Pakkun?"

A half-shrug. "He said he had some stuff to take care of. Most likely he found my stash of treats at my apartment and wanted to get back to a lazy life at the leaf village without me."

He could feel Sakura examining him once again with her medical eyes, but he refused to look up.

Finally, she said. "How about we call it a night and get some breakfast? You've been working nonstop. Every good ninja needs to replenish their energy."

As though he put some thought into the suggestion, Kakashi waited a moment before responded. "I suppose," he said, although his stomach demanded food. He was _starving_. But he didn't want to show it.

After rising from the table, Sakura pulled out the scroll from Kakashi's grasp. "Let's get going then, old man." Tucking the scroll into her pocket she departed to change in the other room.

 _Old man?_

The expected aggravation Kakashi felt when someone called him old man rose to the surface of his consciousness, but something else troubled him about the way Sakura had said it. But she'd said it like she always did, not any different than when Naruto annoyed him, or when Kurenai coddled him…

So why did it bother him even more so than usual?

* * *

At a lonely booth, Kakashi and Sakura munched on their breakfast in silence. Without his forehead protector, Kakashi felt exposed and kept his eyes down, solemnly pushing around his mush of a meal. Sakura on the other hand barely blinked as she stared at him straight on as if she was under the impression she could will him to speak with her. But there was no new information to discuss that was pertinent to the mission, and therefore Kakashi resolved there was nothing to talk about.

They almost reached a full half an hour of silence when a couple approached their table.

"Hello there! We need one more pair for our game! Would you be so kind as to join us?" One of the women giggled, lightly touching the shoulder of her wife.

"A game?" Kakashi's voice came out crackly from the lack of use. He cleared his throat, then asked, "What type of game?"

The wife clapped her hands together in excitement. "Oh wait, I recognize you two! The man with ravishing gray hair, and the beau with locks the color of flowers. You're Hate Kakashi and Haru Sakura, the couple Futoshi will _not_ stop talking about! You _must_ join us now!" Without waiting for a reply, the two women took a hold of both Kakashi and Sakura and dragged them away from their food to a private room of the dining area.

"We really need to stop frequenting establishments that cultivate heathens approaching us," Kakashi muttered under his breath, running his fingers through his hair subconsciously.

"Oh stop it, they're just being friendly," Sakura chastised him, matching his volume. But then her tone took a dark turn when she continued, "Although I suppose you're unfamiliar with the term."

"What?" Kakashi reached out to Sakura, but the wife and husband ripped them apart, thrusting them into seats on opposite sides of the table. It seemed that three other couple arranged themselves in the same way. Stacks of paper lay in front of each person, but no one was paying attention to that as they were all looking at…

"Futoshi?" Sakura exclaimed, beating Kakashi to the outburst.

The young man turned in place at the head of the table. His face immediately brightened when he recognized Sakura.

"Ah, young Haru! And mister Hata! This is wonderful, truly, quite wonderful!"

"What is happening," Kakashi leaned forward, voice deep. Before Futoshi could open his mouth, Sakura slapped Kakashi's hand from the table.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked him, rolling her eyes. "This is the newlywed game."

Kakashi almost choked. "The what now?"

"The newlywed game!" Futoshi repeated, writing out the words beautifully on the whiteboard behind him. "Here we test couple's knowledge of one another, to make sure they are truly deserving of each other! It is _just_ a blast!" He started setting up a point system on the board.

Leaning back in his chair, Kakashi crossed his arms. "I'm afraid Sakura and I do not qualify, then, since we are simply engaged, not married."

The husband to his right waved his hand in the air. "Oh, that is quite alright. The prerequisite for the game is just nominal." The man tapped Kakashi on the arm.

"Wonderful," Kakashi deadpanned.

"Well, shall we get started?" Futoshi asked. From a deep coat pocket, Futoshi pulled out a small stack of notecards. "We'll go back in forth for who is trying to get the correct answer; the left side of the table… my left, of course, and then the right." Sakura sat up in her chair, ready to answer. Kakashi just lazily gripped his pen. "First question! Starting simple: what was their first pet?"

 _My first pet?_... Kakashi mused. Unfortunately, Sakura would be getting this one wrong. While she did know Pakkun was the first ninken entrusted under Kakashi's care, Kakashi did not consider his dogs to be his pets. They were his family, and anything less would be downright disrespectful to the dogs. With a sigh, Kakashi scribbled down his answer: _never owned a pet._

"Alright, time is up!" Futoshi announced, hands folded behind his back. "Let's see what the couples said… first up, the guessers. Asahi?"

The man furthest from Kakashi on the opposite side of the table bashfully flipped his piece of paper. "Yuiko grew up with a calico cat."

Nodding, Futoshi looked to Yuiko. "And?..." Smiling, Yuiko spun her paper around. Futoshi clapped once. "Nice going, Endos! That's one point for you guys." He turns around to add a tally mark under the name _Endo_ , and continues down the table. Everyone of course got the question correct, and Kakashi finally became uneasy as Futoshi reached him and Sakura. If they do not get this one right, will it be obvious they aren't a true couple? Did Kakashi just blow their entire cover?

"So, Sakura: what was Kakashi's first pet?" Futoshi asked the pinkette.

Resting her elbow on the table, Sakura smiled at Futoshi. "Well, this one was quite easy, Futoshi," She said. _Oh Kami, why was she drawing this out?_ Kakashi thought. _That will just make it worse when we don't get a point._

"Oh?" Futoshi smiled back at Sakura, a bit too affectionate. "Why is that?"

"Because Kakashi never owned an animal, and still doesn't to this day." Sakura flipped her paper with one hand, and sure enough, she had written _none_.

"Kakashi?" Futoshi snapped Kakashi out of his transfixion of Sakura and her answer. "Is your fiancé correct?"

"Oh, uh, yes." Kakashi turned his paper over, revealing his answer: _never had one_.

Futoshi grinned. "Perfect. You all get a point for this round!" He added a tally under _Hata_ , despite their unhinged status. "That was just a warm-up round, so I'm glad you all got that right. Moving on from physical facts, we'll take a dive into the dynamics of the relationship! Let's go!" Futoshi flipped the next card. "Remember, the other side is guessing what their partner thinks of this question. Now, what is your partner's favorite romantic gesture _?_ " Futoshi added a little flourish with a wink and shoulder raise, letting the couples crouch over their cards to answer.

 _Ugh,_ Kakashi almost recoiled at the question. He wasn't one to be fond of romantic gestures, but his was Sakura they were answering for. That woman fell head over heels for romance: hell, she grew her hair out for Sasuke simply due to a _rumor_. But Kakashi also did not want to reveal too much about one another, so he wrote down a plain, general answer.

Futoshi went around the table, and Kakashi had to keep his eyes forward to force himself from rolling them. The Endo husband claimed he enjoyed love notes, which Yuiko correctly claimed as well. The wife that had grabbed Kakashi advocated for a romantic, candle-lit dinner and matched her wife's answer. The third couple also paired, with the wife enjoying a nice serenade.

When it came to Kakashi's turn, he shrugged and showed his card. "Chocolate." Sakura's eye twitched, so slight only a non-shinobi would miss it. Without prompt, she turned over her own card, which read _deep, vulnerable conversation._

"Already getting one wrong?" Futoshi shook his head. I'm sure you'll be able to bounce back," he assured Sakura and Kakashi. When he turned, Sakura threw the most confused, crushed look at Kakashi. It was common knowledge among Konoha that the elite medic nin hated chocolate. After many suitors tried to vie for her attention with assortments of treats and chocolate in vain, they finally learned to change tactics. Still, nothing worked to sway Sakura. And perhaps Kakashi used to be the one she complained to about such endeavors of the hopeless men. But Kakashi shrugged and looked away. Yes, maybe he knew that about her. So what? He could have forgotten, right? But he hadn't. He couldn't.

"Let's move on," Futoshi said. "If your partner could have a super power, what would it be? Now, let's try to be chaste about our answers!" Futoshi shook his finger.

The other couples laughed at Futoshi's suggestion, but Kakashi just sat there, wondering. He was a ninja, so as for mundane standards, he already possessed a lot of power. What more could he want?

 _Oh, of course!_ Kakashi knew what his answer would be, but it was so out of place, he wrote down something more expected of a civilian. He laughed to himself. If only he could have what he truly desired.

As answers came in, nothing surprised Kakashi. He'd already analyzed each couple, and based on their slouches, their nervous ticks and side conversations, he anticipated their responses. Calico-wife wanted to the ability to grow taller. One of the wives wanted to read minds, and the husband wanted super-strength. How cliché. Although Kakashi was not any better in appearance when he answered, "wall climbing."

What happened next _did_ surprise Kakashi.

When Sakura tilted her head to the side at Kakashi's odd answer (considering they both knew he _could_ walk on walls) and held up her card, Kakashi's mouth fell open under his mask.

 _Forgetting book plots._

"What a specific answer!" Futoshi commented, hands on his hips. "Care to explain, Sakura?"

Still gazing at Kakashi, Sakura answered as if her mind were elsewhere. "Kakashi loves reading. He even reads at a slower pace sometimes to savor the moment. I just thought he would like to reread books completely, experiencing that moment once again."

Futoshi jumped in place. "That is just adorable! I can't believe she knows you so well, Kakashi."

Kakashi could not either, as it was _exactly_ what he thought of before he wrote down is lame answer. Everyone knew about his obsession with Itcha Itcha, but to actually come up with that response took careful consideration and a deep evaluation of his wants. It was, simply put, very thoughtful.

The same event occurred over and over, with Sakura answering spot-on to Kakashi's questions (What type of nature do they enjoy the most? _The forest, up in the trees_. When was the last time your partner bought new clothes? _Months ago_. Signature dance move? _Butt thrust against Guy_ ) while he switched out what he knew was the truth for something obviously false. Best friends? Ino became Sara. Favorite activity? Studying became baking. Time after time, Sakura grew more agitated as Futoshi admonished their lack of synchronization and their score grew more dismal in comparison to the other couples.

After a round where Kakashi claimed Sakura hated her nose, Sakura rose from the table. Fists and jaw clenched, she asked Futoshi, "Would you mind if I excused myself and Kakashi for a moment?"

The fear at the table was palpable. Clutching his cards close to his chest, Futoshi nodded. Sakura circled the table and took a hold of Kakashi with a considerable amount of chakra to prevent any resistance. To dampen suspicion of foul play, Kakashi summoned some of his own so he did not go flying through the wall as she tosses him through the door outside.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked as Sakura crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

Throwing her arms in the air, Sakura let out a small yell. "Why do you keep lying? It's obvious you are just making up answers to all of those questions!"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Kakashi found a potted plant to his right to be very interesting at that moment. "They might find out too much about us if I'm actually honest."

Sakura hit him in shoulder, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain from Kakashi and finally capturing his attention. "Put things in perspective! That doesn't matter right now. The best lies have some form of truthfulness to make them feel authentic." She stops. " _Do_ you know the answers to those questions?" She looked so heartbroken, just like when he had answered chocolate.

Without thinking, Kakashi responded. "Of course, I know the answers." _Shit._ He didn't mean to admit that. Why did he not want to? What was wrong with assuring her that he knew her as well as she knew him (which was bewilderingly very, _very_ well)?

Shaking her head, Sakura wilted and kept bowling him with questions. "Then what are you so afraid of? Exposing yourself a bit? Do you not care about this mission? Do you not care about anything?"

Her accusation, now the second of this journey, left Kakashi empty. "Of course, I care!" He exclaimed, much more loudly than he meant to.

Fiddling with her hair, Sakura pulled her pink strands tight. "That is the most emotion I've ever seen you display in the past twelve hours." She shook her head again, covering her beautifully sad face with one hand. "I thought we were past this, after our conversation from before. I thought you were going to be more open, let your guard down just a little bit." Letting her hand fall to her side, she now wouldn't stop looking at the plant that had Kakashi had found so intriguing before. "But you still act so aloof all the time! How am I supposed to tell how you're feeling when you never show it?"

Now Kakashi realized his mistake.

 _Of course. I'm such an idiot._

For a second too long, Kakashi remained silent until he shook himself out of his self-wallowing and reached out to Sakura. The touch was light, timid, but it still caused her to jerk her head up and stare at him with that heartbreakingly confused look again. "I'm so sorry… I just look to when this is all resolved, when everything is fine and we can be real friends again, I didn't think about how you're hurting in the present… no wonder you think I don't care."

"Real friends… _again_?" Sakura asked, eyes wide.

Retreating from Sakura, Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck again. "Yeah, I was hoping when we got back to Konoha to… you know, hang out more. I don't know why I stopped visiting, but I wanted to make it up to you. I just thought here, it wasn't the right place… I don't know…" he found himself rambling, an act he never found himself committing.

But something he said had been the right thing. This time, Sakura reached out to the gray-haired ninja and grounded him.

"Why does everything have to be two steps forward, one step backward with you?" She smiled, so soft, as if he were an animal that could be spooked with any quick movements. "How about instead of waiting until we're back home to be real friends, we just _be_ real friends now? Would that be okay?"

Sakura's eyes twitched down as they noticed Kakashi's gray mask stretch from his big smile. "That sounds amazing."

When they returned to the game, Kakashi's arm slung around Sakura's shoulders, Futoshi grinned wide and winked at the pair.

"Lover's quarrel?" He asked.

"Far from it," both Sakura and Kakashi answered, sharing a knowing glance.

As they returned to their seats, Sakura smiled wide and happy, the happiest she'd been the whole trip. Kakashi smiled back, admiring her.

 _Friends._

 _Why did that make his stomach summersault?_

* * *

After the conclusion of the game, Sakura and Kakashi laughed at their almost-come back as they walk back to their room.

"Honestly, it was pretty embarrassing how easy it was to earn back those lost points," Sakura admonished.

"Yeah, embarrassing," Kakashi repeated, smiling down at Sakura in adoration.

Unaware of his gaze Sakura gestured widely. "I mean, we aren't actually a—" Sakura caught herself before exposing their cover, and resumed walking normally. "But we still did a whole lot better than those other couples, even if we didn't end up winning."

"Yeah," Kakashi said again, dumbly. He was still living the high of making Sakura laugh and smile when his answers matched her own—sometimes to her own shame. Her catchphrase? Shannarō. A sure-fire way to get on her nerves? Spreading science factoids. There were less embarrassing ones, like her favorite season (fall), and what instrument she wished she could play (drums, to lay off some stress).

"Whatever, that was a good mind break for our primary task." Finding themselves at their door, Sakura searched for the key and let themselves back into the large suite. "Now we can lock ourselves in and really try and crack this scroll."

"Actually, about that…" Kakashi messed with his mask. "As we were leaving, Futoshi asked if we could attend a picnic this evening. And I couldn't find a way to say no."

"Seriously?" Sakura fell into a chair at the kitchen table, tossing the scroll next to her. "Man, I'm not sure how much socializing I can handle in one day."

"You're telling me," Kakashi agreed, taking residence in the chair to her right. "But he was very adamant, and I thought it unwise to refuse the Daimyo's son."

"Whatever, we'll get through it. Now let's get working!" Sakura tapped the table rhythmically as Kakashi opened the scroll.

"We?" Kakashi arched an eyebrow at her. "It felt like I was the only one doing the work last night."

With a huff, Sakura rolled her eyes. "Hush. I can be of help."

It seemed that Sakura's idea of helping was rummaging around the kitchen supplying words of unneeded advice (did you try a foursquare cypher?) or preparing small snacks to "keep his brain energy up".

"I've already figured out the code, Sakura, it just takes time to translate the rest of the scroll. The flow of the message is not intuitive, making it a bit difficult."

"Oh wow! Amazing! One step closer to returning home!" Sakura exclaimed, sliding Kakashi a pile of crackers.

 _Home._ It would be nice to go back home and finish that book he left on the nightstand, Kakashi thought. But he was enjoying this time alone—this time with Sakura.

"Tell me about yourself, Sakura. It will help me concentrate," Kakashi said out of the blue. In honesty, he wanted to find out just how much she'd changed since she was a chuunin. Her belief system, her thoughts, her ideas for the future.

"Hmm," Sakura crunched on a cracker. "I mean, you already know more than the average person. You taught me the basics of being a ninja, you watched me grow up, you made me aware of the dangers of the outside world." As Kakashi reached for a piece of cracker of his own, Sakura looked away as an offering of privacy.

"Okay, how about I ask some questions?"

Sakura nodded.

"What do you _really_ think of Lady Tsunade? She can be quite a hard-ass."

"Kakashi! That's your hokage!" Sakura blurted, pushing his arm to the side. "Oh, shoot, sorry, I messed up your decoding."

"It's quite alright, I can start over. But truly, you must have some stories to spill. I'd like some blackmail."

Sakura snorted. "There is no way I'm telling you _those_ stories!"

With a grin, Kakashi looked up. "So, there are some!"

"Shit, I didn't…" flustered, Sakura got up from the table, taking the snacks with her. "No more food for you! It's making you too inquisitive."

"Fine, fine. How about your view on Konoha?" Kakashi turned serious.

From the sink, Sakura asked, "What do you mean?"

Connecting a new word to the message, Kakashi said, "Our village does not always send us on missions that are as relaxed as this. We have a dark past; you're just as well acquainted with the Uchiha disaster as I am. What is your stance on that?"

The sink continued running, but the rummaging of dish-ware ceased. Solemn, Sakura returned to the chair. "I used to believe in angels, something good in everything I see. Pushing through the darkness. I used to be innocent, but then I grew skeptical after I learned more. How could the world be pure, if it allowed such hatred and death everywhere? I admit my faith fell. But then, after watching Naruto over the years, I my belief returned. There is the good in the world, it just takes effort to realize it. Naruto saved our village by connecting with the goodness in people's hearts. Everyone can be good if they try. So, I'm willing to help others the same way, and to help Naruto reach his goal of spreading good in this world and eventually become Hokage."

"Spoken like a true soldier of Konoha."

Sakura shook her head. "Maybe that's true, and maybe I have been indoctrinated. But it's not like Konoha tries to convince us we are heroes; we are soldiers. Besides, I think I've seen enough of the world to have solidified my own beliefs by now." She gave Kakashi a curious glance. "Do you not think you've outgrown Sarutobi sensei's teachings? You certainly provide a very different view of the world and how our village is run."

"You have any other beliefs?" As usual, Kakashi ignored the question.

Will a roll of her eyes, Sakura responded, "Nothing can capture the heart quite like a melody can." She gave Kakashi a knowing smirk, well aware of her old sensei's deflective tactics.

Rising from the table once more, she walked away humming to return to the dishes. With a shake and smile, Kakashi returned to the scroll.

* * *

Sahisony1: I agree, it's nice to see him a little green ;) hope you enjoyed this update!

Guest: Thank you for reading! :D


	8. Chapter 8

This time Kakashi got a significant portion of the message decoded.

 _More flowers needed for Leaf shipment, increase total by two tons -_

"Hmm," Sakura read Kakashi's decoded scroll. "Nothing that sinister yet, but considering it was encrypted I wonder what the rest of the scroll says. It _must_ be something interesting."

"I'd want to keep working on this, but unfortunately if we do not leave soon we'll be late for the group picnic," Kakashi sighed, leaving his post at the table. "And now I need to change, since Futoshi undoubtedly is expecting a different assortment of clothing from my breakfast attire."

Sakura laughed. "True, true. Just throw on a nice pair of clothes and you'll be fine, don't worry. You look good in anything."

"I do?" Kakashi asked, but Sakura either did or chose to ignore him as she went to look for picnic clothes as well. He couldn't help the smile that appeared under his mask. Then an idea struck him.

"Hey, Sakura?" He walked into the bedroom, finding her sifting through a pile of clothes. The whole scene felt very domestic to him, and his heart felt funny when she turned around with a smile on her face.

"Yes, Kakashi?"

"I'm going to try and find Futoshi before this whole event, so I'm going to change quickly and I'll meet you there. Is that okay?"

Sakura appeared a bit taken aback at the suggestion, but could not find a reason to say no. "Yeah, that sounds fine. Just, somehow let me know where you end up then."

Kakashi nodded, and after he switched clothes, swiftly departed. A quick navigation through the small village found Kakashi at park on the edge of the main town square where Futoshi was organizing the group picnic.

With a tap on the shoulder Futoshi spun around and greeted Kakashi.

"How nice to see you! It has been so long," he admonished, giving Kakashi a hug.

With a dismissive pat on the back, Kakashi agreed. "Yes, so long. If it is alright with you, I have somewhat of an unusual request…"

* * *

Futoshi was more than happy to accommodate, and soon Kakashi found himself on a secluded part of the hill under a small line of trees with his own basket and blanket. The young Lord had assured Kakashi he would find someone to direct Sakura his way, and when a pierce of pink in the distance peeked over the mound, Kakashi knew Futoshi had not disappointed.

The young woman looked very adorably confused, looking all ways around her before spotting Kakashi. Her body stretched out as she waved in his direction, increasing to a brisk trot to reach his location.

As she drew closer, Kakashi got a better look at her. She dressed herself in a summer dress, a soft blue with white swirls knitted in for detail. It blew in the delicate wind, bellowing around her and lifting her hair, creating what looked like a painting in Kakashi's mind.

He rose from the blanket to welcome Sakura. "You look wonderful," he said, taking her hand to balance one another as they sat down.

Sakura blushed. "Thanks. What is this all about? Where is everyone else?"

Opening the picnic basket, Kakashi explained, "You mentioned you were done socializing for the day, and I couldn't agree more… so I asked Futoshi for our own picnic." Emptying the basket, Kakashi found grapes, cheese, some sake (he was NOT going to be drinking any of that), and some chocolate. There was also a small set of dishes, which Kakashi laid on the blanket and set up a display of food with. He prepared a separate plate and handed it to Sakura, who had a dumb smile on her face as she accepted the offering.

"What?" Kakashi asked, patting his face. "Is there something on me?"

"No, no," Sakura shook her head, still smiling. "This is just very sweet of you."

"Oh, well," as he looked down, Kakashi found he did not know what to say. He usually knew exactly what do say. Why couldn't he think of anything to say? "Futoshi really planned everything," he settled on. _That sounded dumb. Why was he acting like this?_

"Well, thank you, Futoshi," Sakura said, smiling as she ripped off a grape.

"Yes. Thank you, Futoshi." Kakashi made his own cheese plate and leaned back on his elbows. He admired the landscape around them, for some reason finding it hard to keep eye contact with Sakura for more than a few seconds.

But out of eyeshot, conversation became easy again. They chatted about the food, Sakura once again giving Kakashi his space when he lowered his mask to pop a piece of cheese into his mouth. All the produce really was delicious, an attribute to the Daimyo's claim from before about their fertile ground. Topic to topic drifted in and out, including the friendliness of the village and the contents of the scroll. After a while, they ambled into silence, but this time it was companionable. They were comfortable around one another, and neither was attempting to distance themselves from the other. It was pleasant, and Kakashi found he had never quite enjoyed spending so much time alone with one person before in such a vulnerable state.

When Sakura became brave enough to open the sake bottle, she tensed up. Kakashi felt it, but did not pry. He kept one eye on her, the other closed from habit. She kept her gaze away from Kakashi this time as she cleared her throat.

"You know, I've been thinking a lot about what you said the first day we arrived here. And you were right. I don't have the natural potential that Sasuke and Naruto were gifted."

That conversation did not stir good memories for Kakashi. Trying to avoid the topic, Kakashi sat up on the blanket and said, "Sakura, I didn't mean—"

The ninja cut him off. "No, it's okay. I will never be on their level, not truly, without their bloodlines or special abilities. But I want to be remembered too. Not as a Hokage or a covert ninja, but for _something_."

Kakashi twisted in place to fully face her. "You're the best medic nin Konoha has ever seen," he reminded her.

With a scrunch of her face, Sakura said, "People may say that, but Tsunade will always hold that title. I think I need my own jutsu." She looked at her small hands, so dainty and precise. "I know you trained Naruto to develop his, and Sasuke developed his technique based off your chidori." She clenched her hands into fists. "I need my own."

Without reason, Kakashi enveloped her hands in his own. Heat raced through his arms, but Kakashi tried to ignore it. "You need only to ask, Sakura; I'll help you once we return to our village."

Now Sakura smiled, eyes playful. "Oh, I'm already passed the creation stage. I'm just perfecting it now."

"Oh?" Kakashi was surprised. "And what is it?"

"It's my turn for secrets, Hatake." Sakura winked at him, lifting her hands from his in a manner that made Kakashi wonder if she too felt the electricity running down his fingers. Without looking away, she popped another grape in her mouth, forcing Kakashi to fight from watching her lips move tantalizingly.

"I never thought you would be so bold," Kakashi settled on saying, leaning back fully onto the blanket.

A puff of pink filtered in his peripheral vision as Sakura lay down next to him. Her pinky finger brushed his as she said, "And I never thought I would find myself having a picnic with the legendary Copy Nin, but here we are."

Looking up at the clouds filtering the dusk light, Kakashi replied, "Yes. Here we are."

They ended up hanging out on the hill for a few more hours, choosing to enjoy the view of the sunset over the village from the perch. Kakashi found it hard to choose between watching how the colors of the sunset projected over the buildings or how the light made Sakura's hair turn a golden rose. Good thing she was too captivated by the scenery in front of her to notice Kakashi's wavering eyes.

Before the night became too dark for them to return to their rooms in relative safety, Sakura and Kakashi cleaned up their picnic to head back. Sakura passionately talked about her current work under Tsunade's supervision involving innovative surgical techniques, and Kakashi was happy to silently listen, nodding in appreciation and smiling with his eyes to communicate he enjoyed the conversation. It truly was amazing what Sakura was doing, despite the fact Kakashi could not understand all the technical vocabulary. Medicine was not his specialty.

When they reached their inn, Sakura was describing some case that was beyond Kakashi.

"And you couldn't believe it – what I felt with my chakra was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The complexity of the cist was more advanced than any common ones, and simply with my chakra I was able to pinpoint the solution."

Rummaging through his bag, Kakashi said, "I am very impressed, Sakura. And not only because I couldn't follow most of that."

Warm laughter came from Sakura's side of the room. "It's nice to hear that there are some things even you don't know, Kakashi."

When Sakura left to change in the bathroom, Kakashi tore off his overshirt, leaving his mask on, and changed his pants.

He settled into bed, lying on his back, before Sakura returned, taking care to stay as close to the edge of the mattress as possible. Her hand, so close to his at the picnic, was on his mind. Even if they were getting closer with their friendship restored, Kakashi felt as though there was a line being more defined he could not step over. A line he would never have considered before this trip. A line, whose train of thought was too dangerous to follow.

Just as he was nodding to sleep, Kakashi felt the bed sink with Sakura's weight. She shimmied until the perfect position was achieved, and the room filled with a deep sigh. From his periphery, he could feel Sakura's eyes flutter on him every once in a while.

Sakura studied him, but Kakashi flipped around to face the wall. Pulling his mask up, he tried to return to his comfortable state and fall into deep slumber. But all he could feel was the kunoichi's gaze like feathers on his back.

 _Author's_ _Note_ :

Sorry for the long wait, and the short chapter - School was tough, thenI had a summer internship, and then school got in the way again... anyways, I'm back now :)

Some good news: next chapter is almost ready, and it's MUCH longer! And, imo, it's pretty good, so stay tuned!


	9. Chapter 9

The most talked about event of the festival final arrives - the masquerade.

 _Author's Note:_

Hi!

This is the promised long chapter! Almost 8k words!

Be warned, I flip POV between Sakura and Kakashi pretty fluidly in this chapter, but it should be easy to figure out who's speaking when.

Enjoy!

Yoohyuk: Thank you for still reading!

* * *

When Kakashi had gotten ready for bed, he prepared himself for another night of restlessness and zoning out Sakura's light snoring.

However, the weirdest thing happened when he woke up that next day in the Village of Mountain Streams.

He realized he had slept the entire night, free of any chakra expenditure. With a lurch, he sat up in the bed in search of the wall clock. The second hand ticked steadily as he read the time as nine twenty-seven. _Nine?_ Kakashi thought with astonishment. He couldn't remember a time when he'd missed the break of dawn, either working in his garden, practicing a new move, or taking his ninken out.

Immediately, Kakashi was on high alert.

On instinct, he sent a surge of chakra to his left eye, with the sharp pinch of energy reminding him of his loss of the Sharingan. With shake of his head, Kakashi ripped off the covers and stood in a ready stance, hands together preparing for any necessary signs. Scanning the room, Kakashi went cold when he noticed Sakura's side of the bed empty, no traces of heat signatures or chakra residue.

Mind racing, Kakashi listed reasons for the current situation. The only probable explanation he came up with was a jutsu of unparalleled power that had snuck into his senses just before they went to bed, resulting in his loss of awareness. And where was Sakura?

And then he heard a squeak in the bathroom. It suspiciously sounded like the movement of a door. Light on his toes, Kakashi inched towards the door. Keeping his breath as shallow as possible, Kakashi prepared himself for the incoming fight.

Just as he was reaching for the door, it slid open, releasing a thread of steam and Sakura wrapped in a towel.

"Kakashi?" Surprise was evident on her face, open and honest. "Is everything okay?"

Sakura was completely relaxed; did she not realize the danger they were in? She gripped her towel around her small body, but that was the only rigidity that Kakashi could observe. She tore off the wrap from her head, and shook out her pink hair, splattering Kakashi with a few droplets. "Are you going to continue standing like that, or explain to me what's going on?"

Kakashi looked down at himself, now noticing his fighting stance: legs splayed, arms up and fists clenched at the ready. With a snap he straightened himself, but not before he took a quick surveillance around the room.

"Do you feel anything off? Did you notice anything when you woke up?" He questioned her, eyes wide.

Crossing her arms, Sakura contemplated his inquiry. "I did a perimeter check, and found nothing. No seals, no chakra signatures, no heat residues. You were sound asleep snoring like a bulldog, so I decided to let you rest while I got ready."

The shinobi let the last sentence absorb. Had he heard her correctly?

"I was sound asleep?" Kakashi repeated.

Tilting her head, Sakura's eyes glimmered with amusement. "Yep. I even stubbed my toe on the bed frame which may have resulted in some loud swearing," she admitted. "But even that didn't wake you up."

There was no way. Kakashi didn't believe it. Rubbing the fabric of his mask, Kakashi turned away from the female ninja. He hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in over a decade, maybe more. But all other signs pointed to Sakura's account being the truth.

And now that Kakashi was out of danger mode, he was frighteningly aware of the fact all that was around Sakura's body was a small, thin towel. Hiding his face, Kakashi turned away and fled back to the bed. His spine felt fuzzy, and it made him uncomfortable to say the least.

Traces of Sakura's scrutiny followed him as he sat back on his side of the bed, but Kakashi's nonplussed state quenched anything she would have said about the matter.

Cutting the tension in the room, Sakura said, "You know what today is?"

Still relatively absent, Kakashi answered in a muted voice. "No."

"It's the culmination of Futoshi's festival: The Celebration of Inner Beauty. They have the carnival tonight, as well as masquerade," Sakura explained.

"Masquerade?" Kakashi parroted.

Placing herself in front of Kakashi, Sakura nodded. "Yeah. You know, parties where people wear masks? The point is to appreciate how people contain beauty, and how we love others not for superficial reasons. Perfect for you, as you never go anywhere without a mask." She flicked his nose, and Kakashi finally stepped out of his funk.

"I'm not sure about that. I mean, besides Jiraya, I'm probably the number one fan of Itcha Itcha girls. And goodness knows it's not because of their intellect…"

"Kakashi!" Sakura threw her hair towel at Kakashi. "Don't be gross!"

The towel obscured his view of the shinobi as she withdrew back into the bathroom, sliding the door shut. Kakashi was left in a perplexed state, holding her damp towel on his chest allowing moisture to slowly make its way through his shirt and contact his warm skin.

"What? It was just a joke!" He called through the wall.

"Oh, shut up, you nasty old man," Sakura called back.

Stricken by her harsh words, Kakashi simply stood there. Never had Sakura ever talked back to him in such a way.

But then he started to chuckle, and before long he was full-on laughing, holding the towel close to his body.

Timidly, the bathroom door slid to the side. Sakura peered through the small crack she made, still glowering. "What's so funny?"

Straightening his mask, Kakashi explained through laughs. "I would never have imagined my most obedient student ever speaking to me that way. I just thought it was humorous."

Taking a beat before responding, Sakura decided this was indeed something to laugh about. Although she wasn't one to easily let go of a feud, no matter how petty or little, she let herself smirk lightly.

"Fine, you're right." She opened the rest of the bathroom door. Today she dressed in almost her normal attire – a simple red shirt and a pink skirt. Only the elements of shinobi were removed. They must be her civilian clothes, Kakashi thought. He didn't have any, but she'd come from a civilian family, so of course her parents would always have clothes for their beautiful daughter.

"Kakashi, you've gotten yourself all wet."

Kakashi blinked. "What?" He'd lost his train of thought yet again.

Tutting, Sakura yanked her towel out of his hands. Sure enough, a dark splotch of moisture was left on his chest. Sidestepping him, Sakura shoved him into the bathroom. "Get ready for the day, and let's try and decode as much of the scroll as we can before the masquerade."

"Yes, the scroll…" Kakashi scratched his head. "I can do that. We can do that. Let me just get ready."

Feeling the eye roll from beyond the bathroom, Kakashi heard Sakura mutter "Yep. That's exactly what I just said." Even more quietly, he heard a soft, "What a weirdo."

As Kakashi removed his shirt and left it to dry, he glanced at his body in the mirror. Not completely vain, Kakashi was willing to admit he looked in great shape. Slapping his abs, he admired the six pack that had been present since he was a teenager. His slim figure hid the strong musculature underneath, including the intense chakra levels he could summon for short periods of time.

But then, as always, his eyes would catch the jagged "X" buried in his chest. The many small puncture wounds, be it from kunai piercing his skin or shiruken finding there way through his defenses. Lines of scar tissue, lumps of callouses, and discoloration made a topography map out of his body of his entire career.

And of course, his eyes drifted upward. Staring at the left half of his face, Kakashi reached out his reflection. Anticipating the touch on his own skin, Kakashi brushed the scar running down his forehead, over his eye, to his cheek on the silvery surface. The mark of his first failure as a ninja; a mark of his first failure to his first friends.

Eyeing the door that separated him from the pink-haired shinobi waiting on him, Kakashi wondered. He'd felt something at the picnic. He'd heard something in her voice, just now. Was he going crazy? Was this assignment making him soft?

He returned to his ugly face. No, he thought. Finally touching his own face, Kakashi covered his left eye. He would never turn soft. If he did, something horrible would happen. Sakura was soft, and always will be. She'd never feel anything towards him, so why should he entertain these fleeting thoughts? They were just a result of their cover story, nothing more.

* * *

"This doesn't sound good," Kakashi grumbled from the couch.

After moving to the living room to continue decoding, Sakura had placed herself to his immediate left, much to his discomfort. He doubted he'd ever get full control of his vision again, and the weak position list left him in was disturbing. But Sakura was fully focused on the message.

Little by little, they'd put together the message over the course of the entire day. The festival was quickly approaching, but neither had stopped to think about that as they drew closer to uncovering the scroll's secrets. The coffee table was a mess of drinks, snacks, schematics, deciphers, and half-completed codes.

 _More flowers needed for Leaf shipment, increase total fertilizer by two tons. Fertilzer and seeds alike, Continued instruction of planting as usual. Infiltration about 95% complete. Suspicion low, Hokage not involved in plant industry. Preparation ready and awaiting the go._

"Infiltration? Suspicion?" Sakura asked, rubbing her chin. "Infiltration of what, flowers? That's all we get. And we _would_ notice if anything else came with the order, we always have our entrance guard check cargo."

"It is an odd thing to say," Kakashi agreed. "Overall, this scroll isn't all too alarming. But combined with the secrecy, and select vocabulary…"

"There must be something we are missing," Sakura finished his sentence. "We should snoop around some more. Not at the fields, it's too in the open with too many pairs of eyes. Do they have a holding area, or something along those lines?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Not that I'm aware of. The maps I was given of the area were very crude, and it would bring up questions if we asked for a more detailed map now."

Sakura glanced out the window. "It's inconsequential for the moment, anyways. The sun is starting to set, and Futoshi would probably send a squad of scent dogs after us if we don't show up to this festival."

"Agreed. But maybe Pakkun can find something while everyone else is preoccupied." Kakashi stood up and summoned his companion.

"I'll also send a bird to Ino, maybe she'll have an idea about this. Her mom knows everything about everything if it concerns flowers."

Kakashi gave Pakkun the details as Sakura scrambled into the bedroom to write her letter to Ino. She admonished Kakashi after he reminded her to make sure to write it in a way that only the two shinobi would understand the true intent.

"I'll have a look around, boss," Pakkun said, licking his paw. "I have an idea where to start, too. What will you be doing in the meantime?"

With a groan, Kakashi said, "Sakura and I have to attend a festival tonight. That 'celebrates inner beauty'," he used finger quotes.

Pakkun looked up, one dog-brow raised. "That must be faked exacerbation, right?"

"Excuse me?" Kakashi crossed his arms.

"C'mon, young Hatake. You and Sakura will be having a blast, enjoying yourselves, while I do all the grunt work," Pakkun said.

"I'd much rather be moving the mission forward. This isn't exactly a vacation, Pakkun, and I'm not one to relax."

"True," the dog admitted. "But you sure have let your guard down more easily these past few days than I have ever seen before."

Rubbing the back of his head, Kakashi looked away. "That night of sake was an accident," he defended himself. "I'm sure you don't know what you're talking about."

Standing on all fours, Pakkun shook himself out. "You mean the newlywed game meant nothing? You didn't need to have that picnic either, Kakashi. Plus, us canine have special senses about things like this." He glanced up one last time at his summoner. "But what do I know?" And with a poof, he disappeared.

Coughing away the bellow of smoke, Kakashi walked away from where his dog used to be seconds ago. _No_ , he angrily thought. _He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's crazy._

"Did I miss Pakkun _again_?" Sakura came out of the bedroom, letter in hand. "How does that always happen?"

Wordlessly, Kakashi shrugged. Squirming by her to enter the bedroom, he rummaged through his bag for a change of clothes.

Following him lead, Sakura went to her bag and started pulling out piles of clothing. "It's fine, I'll see him later."

Kakashi grunted.

"This… festival, ball, whatever," Sakura said as she sorted her clothes, "seems important to Futoshi and the entire village, so we need to at least make our presence moderately known. No skipping with surprise picnics or anything." She turned, casting a smile at Kakashi, but he kept his back turned away, rejecting any hint of relaxation.

Not letting his fluctuating emotions bother her yet again, Sakura kept smiling. "Word on the street is the Daimyo went all out this evening, as well. Lantern lights all over the village, special food trucks on every corner, and even a live band. I can sense it will be a beautiful night, with great weather. Let's try to enjoy this, Kakashi, if we have nothing else to do besides be vigilant."

Kakashi's back only seemed to get tighter as she continued talking. Knowing her next question would piss him off, Sakura walked over to him with a shit-eating grin. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and he flinched, making Sakura jut her hand back. She tried to not let that bother her, chalking it off to shinobi jitters.

In lieu of touching him, Sakura leaned over his back. "Are you nervous, Hatake?" She whispered to his ear.

Now Kakashi stood up straight as an arrow, hands holding the clothes so tight Sakura thought he would leave permanent wrinkles in them. "I'm going into the bathroom to get ready. Let me know when you're finished as well, and I'll come back out."

He rushed to the restroom with such urgency, Sakura's hair flips in his wake. Shaking her head, Sakura went back to her pile of laundry and selected her nicest dress. An ankle-length, sunrise dress with a sweetheart neckline was her selection. The ombre effect would be dazzling in the festival lights, the seamless transition between purple, pink, and light orange complimented her hair as well. The dress would hug her in all the right places, but was roomy enough for quick movement if she needed to spring into action. With the long skirt, she could also hide all sorts of items she refused to leave in the apartment.

Knowing this night would be semi-traditional, Sakura also picked out a cover that looked like a see-through kimono. Light green and powerful silver brushstrokes mixed together in a harmony that Sakura could stare at for hours, if she did not have other pressing matters to attend to.

For the final touch, Sakura picked up her mask. She'd gone out and bought it a little while ago by herself, as Kakashi did not find the need to accompany her when his outfit always consisted of a mask.

Hers was the opposite of Kakashi's – it covered the top half of her face, instead of the bottom half. The structure was brown, shaped like branches, with leaves and cherry blossom flowers sprouting all around the top and sides. It was hand painted, fit her name perfectly, and Sakura simply could not control herself when the salesmen pitched the object to her. It also ended up being contoured to her face like a glove, and with that, the money was exchanged.

Sakura slipped on the mask now, feeling as though she was putting on a costume for a play. Playing the part of a happy couple, without any risks in the world to worry about. It sounded nice, and she was ready to fall into the fantasy.

But she could not let herself. With a deep breath, Sakura turned to her knife bag. She slipped her knife sheath over her thigh, and secured kunai knives out of anyone's sight. In her bust, she stuffed some small scrolls for healing summons. On her other tight, she slipped some paper bombs, just in case.

Straightening out her dress, Sakura called to Kakashi. "Okay, I'm ready. You can come out now."

Kakashi was still busy fussing with his hair that refused to lay flat when he exited the bathroom. But when he finally laid eyes on Sakura, all the air left his lungs.

It seemed without his noticing, Sakura really had turned into a full woman. Standing tall in her pink dress, she looked like a fearsome warrior who had grown strong and independent throughout her life. She knew herself, knew her needs, and knew her duties in life. Whoever talked to her should feel honored she took the time to acknoldege their presence given all of her responsibilities. She held herself wih so much confidence, Kakashi almost forgot she used to be the small, pathetic genin no one had wanted on their team.

She didn't have the body of females from Jiraya's novels, but that did not matter at all. She shone from under her silver kimono that Pakkun surely must have picked out, and Kakashi realized he had been staring too long.

Her bright eyes shown through her mask despite all the noise, analyzing Kakashi's outfit much more scientifically than he had hers.

Kakashi wore only the top half of a black Haori with white wave patterns, skipping out on the hakama for gray dress pants. He'd try to get his hair to obey gallons of gel, but it still spiked all around in the air. And of course, he still wore his signature black facemask.

"Alright, you look pretty well-dressed, considering what I know you'll put up with," Sakura said, teeth shining from under her mask.

"Why thank you, Ms. Haru," Kakashi said with a bow. He extended his arm to her. "Shall we?"

Sakura bowed back, chuckling. Taking his arm, she replied, "Don't mind if we do, Mr. Hate."

* * *

They'd walked to the festival site in complete silence, arm in arm the entire journey. Sakura, along with not wanting to pressure Kakashi, was tired of initiating conversation, so instead she just took in her surroundings. From time to time, she expended some chakra to sense any dangers, but nothing came up besides Kakashi's brief flares as well.

When they finally reached the center of the festival, it was clear some sort of pre-game had happened. Many of the attendees were already wasted; they clamored for food in the way only drunks did, and swayed to the music without any inhibition. The main street was unbelievably crowded, surprising Sakura even when she had the knowledge this festival was famous around here.

Wordlessly, Sakura dragged Kakashi around the sights. She admired the interpretive artwork that ran around the perimeters of the festival, laughed at the lantern lights. She greeted the few people she recognized even with masks on, and surveyed the food carts. Sakura tried chicken treats, feeding Kakashi as a fiancé would, and thankfully Kakashi played his own part, even if he still did not speak up.

He seemed absorbed into his own world again, eyes slightly distant. They refocused whenever Sakura demanded his attention, but quickly drew inwards when they dropped the act. But Sakura genuinely wanted to appreciate this festival. Its intentions were pure, even if there was something sinister hidden in this village. Tossing out conventional ideals of beauty, and instead celebrating the beauty on the inside? She was all about that. Sakura might have grown into her large forehead, but there were always going to be aspects about her body she would hate. She'd much rather find someone that loved her for who she was, not what she looked like.

Hands locked with Kakahi's, Sakura led them towards the music's source. With a noisemaker like Naruto, Konoha was no quiet village, but it did lack a sort of spice when it came to musicality. These talented musicians attracted Sakura, their movements enchanting, and she wanted the sound to be clearer.

Weaving through the thick crowd, Sakura lost her grip on Kakashi, but she kept moving towards the band. Eventually, she was close enough to the stage where she could watch them. She laughed and clapped along to the tune, even sang along when they played more traditional songs. She lost herself in the music, jumping and swaying to the melody, momentarily forgetting their dire mission.

There she was, just a woman in her early twenties, having a good time. Maybe later she'd accidentally bump into a handsome fella, who would ask her out to dinner. They would get to know each other, discover they shared a favorite color, and then debate philosophical ideas.

Or maybe she would find a lifelong friend, just by shouting out the words to a popular song and making eye contact across the crowd. They would dance towards each other, sing at the top of their lungs for the rest of the night, take shots together, and form a pact to never reveal what their night of drunk shenanigans led them to.

Or just maybe, she would decide when wants to learn how to play an instrument as well. After the concert, she would go up to the band and request a teacher. Finding her to be serious, they would take her on their tour of the world, and she would become a world-renowned artist. Armies would chant her names at auditoriums, and she would let in their words and channel their energy through her music.

Then the song ended, and reality struck Sakura again. She slouched, but resigned to her world. She was a ninja, bound by duty to her Hokage. That's just the way it was. And her life was full of adventure, she couldn't deny that. But sometimes, she envied her civilian's parents lack of drama.

The band switched to playing softer music, and couples took each other's hands to slow dance. Someone grabbed Sakura's hand, and for a second she thought one of her dreams was coming true. But it was just Kakashi. She'd thought she lost him in the crowd before, but didn't let the startled feeling show on her face. Wordlessly, Kakashi brought Sakura in close, holding her steady with a palm on the small of her back. She was grateful for her mask that covered the rush of blood in her cheeks.

They moved to the music with several inches separating them. Sakura looked up at the tall man in front her, but Kakashi looked forward, face pale. Taking a chance, Sakura tugged him closer. He obeyed her without any fight, letting her rest her head on his chest. She could feel his neck bend down to look at her, Kakashi's chin brushing the top of her hair. His heart beat at an alarming rate, making Sakura worry he was expecting an ambush at any moment.

Sakura took the proximity as a chance to talk about covert details, and mentioned the deciphered scroll. "I told Konoha to analyze the soil they received from this land. Hopefully Ino will get back soon. The scroll said 'infiltration'. I'm worried we'll need to eventually take someone out on this mission," Sakura said.

Kakashi's heart slowed down slightly as his voice rumbled through his chest. "Don't worry. If it comes to that, I'll do the deed. No problem."

The conversation's quick turn direction churned her stomach, but Kakashi was talking to her again, and she did not want to go another evening feeling like she had one step forward, two steps back with this man. "I know I'm a soldier of our village, and I have taken people's lives… but I'm a healer. Every life hurts me inside. How can you say that so casually?"

"The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others. I embraced the bad that is Konoha, letting the good seep away, so you can commit bad deeds."

Shaking her head, Sakura retreated from the comfort of Kakashi's chest. He looked down at her, eyes gray and empty. "You can't just stop being good, because you've been exposed to so much bad," Sakura answered, eyes pleading to Kakashi's impassive face. "You have to be good, _despite_ all the bad."

Without thinking, Kakshi blurted, "But what if I think _I'm_ what's bad with this world?" His voice almost quivers, and Kakashi glances away to hide the terror in his eyes of what he just admitted.

Sakura stopped dancing, forcing Kakashi to stop as well. He just stood there, eyes looking to the side, as she stared him down with those piercing green eyes. "Kakashi, why would you even suggest that?"

Now looking at the ground, Kakashi gave a sorrowful shrug, and resumed dancing. But his shifting of weight was slower, and less balanced. Sakura gave him his time, hoping he will eventually answer if she just waited it out.

Her patience was rewarded about a minute later, when Kakashi spoke in a soft voice, on the verge of being too quiet to pick up, even with her trained hearing.

"All the people I grow to care for, they all die. Sometimes by my hand. How can I not think of myself as bad? I can't even keep those that I lo-"

His voice cracked. Kakashi swallowed hard, and resumed. "I can't even keep _them_ safe. There's no room in my life for good, anymore."

Mouth agape, Sakura shook her head again. "I can't even believe I'm hearing this, Kakashi. After everything you've done for our village, the countless missions you've completed, the ninja you've taught, you don't think you've done any good, ever?"

Kakashi watched a lantern move with the soft breeze. "All of that was in service of the village, which isn't the most pure institution, as I am sure you know. I don't feel great about a lot of the missions I've been assigned."

Kakashi had a point, so Sakura tried to find another source of argument.

"Well, what about Team 7?"

Kakashi looked down at Sakura, gray eyes sparking for the first time since they started talking. "What about it?"

Sakura smiled wide. "You taught us so much, showed us how to be the best versions of ourselves. You also saved us countless times throughout our missions, no matter how fucked up they became. _I_ consider that a good deed."

Kakashi snorted. "Yeah, because Sasuke turned out so great."

"Forget about Sasuke for one second," Sakura growled. She calmed herself. "Think of Naruto, think of me." Kakashi locked eyes with her. "I know Naruto looks up to you still for guidance. He loves you. And I am thankful every day I had you as my teacher. You were the best team leader anyone could ask for. And now, I'm thankful every day I have you as a friend."

Kakashi's mask twitched, so Sakura guessed the man was attempting to hide a smile. His eyes dilated, and his cheeks reddened slightly. Laughing, Sakura reached up and brushed his cheek with her thumb. "You are so hard on yourself, Kakashi. Please see the good you spread in this world, and try to forgive yourself for what you may have done in the past. And if you struggle to give yourself that forgiveness, only ask me, I'll gladly give it to you."

Like a puppy, Kakashi leaned into her touch, eyes closing. She felt him calming under his hand, and smiled. To an outsider, they probably really looked like two intendeds, enjoying the intimacy of their quiet conversation.

"Thank you, Sakura," Kakashi breathed. He reached up to cup her hand in his, and held it there as he turned his face into her palm. She felt the slight pressure of fabric against her skin, and stopped breathing when she realized Kakashi was giving her a soft kiss.

Quickly, she withdrew her hand from his grasp. Immediately Kakashi snapped out of his soft behavior, staring stupidly at her. He clearly did not realize exactly what he was doing, and his mind was still racing to catch up with his actions.

But only surprise had wrenched Sakura's hand away, and she did not want to punish him for being vulnerable. So, she rushed to him, wrapping him up in a bear hug, burrowing her head in his chest yet again. After a second, she felt Kakashi's arms reach around her as well, all the muscles in his body relaxing.

"I'm always here for you, Kakashi," Sakura said to his body.

She felt him hum. "I know, I know," he replied. His gratitude was not expressed again, but she knew it was still there.

She squeezed him a few more times, until Kakashi started protesting. "Please, Sakura, you're going to break my back," Kakashi laughed slightly. He removed her hands from around him, keeping her at a distance, but still holding her hands as if he could not bear the thought of letting go again.

But Sakura remembered something, and pulled her hands away. Kakashi looked downtrodden, but then a truly happy look on his face replaced it quickly.

"I just remembered," Sakura said. "I bought you something when I was out looking for my own mask."

Sakura reached into her bra and pulled out a small scroll. She unfurled it, revealing a seal with writing so small, only someone with surgical-like penmanship could have written it. Makings sure no one was paying them any attention, Sakura whispered a quick jutsu. She arched her back over her hand, and after a small puff of smoke disappeared, revealed the item.

A ball of silver and green fabric lay in her palm, glittering delicately in the lantern light. Sakura held up with both hands, smiling when Kakashi's eyes widened in realization about what exactly she was offering him.

"It's a new mask! I know you didn't buy one since you already have so many," Sakura explained, "but I figured tonight called for a special gift." She held it out to Kakashi to take, who gingerly fingered the fabric. It felt like feathers in his hands.

"Sakura, I… thank you," he said, still admiring the handiwork. Then he looked up at her, distressed. "I don't have anything for you."

"Oh, please, don't worry about that," Sakura said, genuine. "I just wanted to do something nice for you. That's what friends do."

Wonderment still shined in Kakahsi's eyes, and Sakura had to wonder how often Kakashi's friends did things like this for him. Who were Kakashi's friends, anyways? Guy? He was great, but seemed a bit airheaded to Sakura. Genma would never buy anything for anyone, and Asuma was gone. Her heart pained for Kakashi now; those really were his only friends left.

 _Kakashi has lost almost everyone_ , Sakura remembered Pakkun mentioning to her earlier this mission. Not for the first time, she wondered how exactly he lost those people who were so close to him.

But she did not want those dark thoughts to consume her, nor did she want to remind Kakashi of his melancholy past. So instead, she clapped her hands. "Go ahead, put it on. I'll look away." She turned around, closed her eyes, and for good measure, cupped her hands over her eyes as well.

Not willing to disappoint her, Kakashi obeyed her wish. He slipped off his black mask and replaced it with her silvery green gift. It was obviously made from expensive material; it was thick enough to appear opaque, but breathed much better than the old masks Kakashi had grown used to.

After briefly touching his own cheek, he tapped Sakura on her bare shoulder. She spun in an instant, the smile already lighting up her face, which ignited a quick heart beat in Kakahi's chest.

"It looks amazing, Kakashi," she murmured. Kakashi smiled wide under his mask, and from the way Sakura's eyes fluttered down for a split second, he guessed this new mask did not cover up his mouth as well as his others. But he did not mind, even if he was more accustomed to emotional privacy. This was one of the most thoughtful gifts he had ever received, and he could not contain the joy that emanated from his every limb.

On a whim, Kakashi grabbed Sakura and spun her in place, lifting an arm high above her head. She let out a breathless squeal of happiness. He then twirled her back close to his body, and dipped her low. He doggedly followed her descent, almost touching noses with her just a foot above the ground.

"Truly, Sakura. Thank you so much for this wonderful gift."

Sakura's upper cheeks started to flush, but whether it was from the dancing or the blood rushing to her head from gravity, Kakashi could not begin to guess. He hefted her back up, and drew her close to slow dance together. Feeling completely comfortable around her, he rested his chin over her shoulder, breathing in her scent. It was sweet and floral, and calmed his every nerve. How had he not realized before now how much comfort Sakura gave him? Kakashi closed her eyes, breathing nice and even, finally fully enjoying the festival.

Sakura was tense in his arms, her shoulder hard as a rock. She'd initiated the close dancing before, so he wasn't sure why should would react this way. But momentarily, she relaxed as well, returning to her resting position on his chest. He tried to force his heart to not beat as fast as before, but having Sakura this close messed with his mind, which in turn messed with his head. She relaxed him so much, but still made him so nervous. He hoped he would get over whatever this feeling was soon, so he could just be himself without any distractions. He knew his behavior was abnormal always, but his current behavior was exceptionally weird, especially after his talk with Pakkun.

Simply listening to the music, the two of them held the other tight, eyes shut. As one, they moved across the floor, never stepping on each other's feet, or having to speak about their next movements. Kakashi felt Sakura's thumb on his shoulder rub him rhythmically, and he swore it was some medical technique to make him even more at ease.

Kakashi's guard was so down, he did not even notice when the hurricane Futoshi approached them.

"Look at you two!"

His piercing voice shocked Kakashi out of his drowsiness, and he sprung up from Sakura's shoulder nook, blinking rapidly. Arms crossed, Futoshi looked smug, as if he knew some secret they did not.

"You're both just so adorable, absorbed in your own world. I wish I could bottle you two up and keep you preserved here forever!" He clapped.

Sakura, always remembering her manners before Kakashi did, bowed. "My lord, it is a pleasure to see you again. This festival is wonderful," she said, gesturing around her.

Futoshi's chest puffed out. "Why thank you! I tried hard to make this as fun as possible. But I think you two only need each other to have fun," he winked at them. Sakura blushed severely, and Kakashi tried to make his face as unemotional as possible. _Don't think about it, don't think about it_ , he repeated over and over in his head.

Futoshi touched Sakura's cover slip, appreciating the material in his hands. "This is beautiful, Sakura." He looked to Kakashi. "Your fiancé's clothing certainly brings out the color in your hair," he motioned to Kakashi's rat's nest that had refused to cooperate with him earlier. Kakashi, now very self conscious, mussed with it again. "Did you two coordinate?"

Angrily tugging at his locks, Kakashi grumbled. "No, we absolutely did _not_." He failed to keep how irritate the was about Futoshi's interruption. Sakura lightly slapped him on the arm.

"Well, you two must really just have a special connection," Futoshi admired. He bowed to them, prompting a bow in return. "I'll leave you two. Please, enjoy yourselves." He returned to hosting the event, picking up conversations with everyone around him.

Kakashi was still grumbling and messing with his hair as Sakura tugged him back to her. She reached up and brought his arms back around her, massaging his upper arms. "Kakashi, please don't be rude to him. We still might need more information from him later."

"I know," he muttered, offering no explanation. He would not know what to say to her. That he did not want to go back to the feeling of being a shinobi right now? That he actually _preferred_ that innocent bliss he had felt for a few minutes back there with her?

Instead of pestering him, Sakura refocused his energy. "It's okay to let yourself just be _you_ sometimes, but at times, we don't let out our best behavior."

This felt almost like a continuation of their previous conversation, but Kakashi felt better whenever he let something off his chest to this short medical ninja. "I'm not used to holding back, when everyone back home knows to just let me be."

"Why is that?" Sakura asked, beginning to sway in place again.

"I'm not sure…" Kakashi said. "I think it's because they know who I am, and that I'm not as nice as I ought to be."

"You have it in you, I've seen it for myself," Sakura replied, fixing her mask. Before Kakshi could ask when exactly, she continued. "But that happens to all of us. I know I'm far from being what I ought to be; sometimes I have to ask myself, will I ever be? But eventually, I just decided that others go to various lengths to hide their true selves. I used to do that, but people go to such lengths to hide their true selves. I used to do that, but it was exhausting."

"I'm glad you don't anymore. I like who I see in front of me."

Sakura hid her smile by burrowing into Kakashi's chest. He felt her speak against him. "Well, I can say the same to you, since I like who's in front of me as well."

A warm fuzzy feeling crept up from where she spoke, through his clothes, and into his heart. It pumped heat through his entire body, and Kakashi knew he had to cut this feeling off quick before he did something stupid.

So he did the stupidest thing he could think of: he mentioned the Uchiha. Mentioning her romantic interest should surely end his idiotic fantasies.

"Have you heard from Sasuke recently, Sakura?"

His question had the (reluctant) desired effect: Sakura removed her head from his chest, eyes scrunched in confusion. "No, why would I have?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "Are you not in correspondence with the rogue ninja? I thought lovers kept in touch even over long distances." Kakashi really had never approved of her and the Uchiha's relationship; they'd seemed like an odd match, with far too much history and struggle. Some would have romanticized their past, and Kakashi would have it was in one of his novels. But in real life, he never forgave Sasuke for his actions.

Sakura blushed with embarrassment. "Kakashi, Sasuke and I were never lovers. I was a fool, believing to be in love with him. But that wasn't love, it was a teenage infatuation. When he turned his back on Konoha, that was it for me."

What? That was news to Kakashi. "But when he returned—"

Sakura cut him off. "I meant the second time. He could have stayed, but he went off alone. It's his choice; I respect that. But it made me realize, when I didn't feel anything when he walked away, that my feelings were gone, were temporary." She stepped away from Kakashi, brushing out her dress as if Sasuke was the dirt sticking to her clothing. "I was never in love with Sasuke."

 _I was never in love._

Her words broke Kakashi's fixation of his goal. This changed everything in his mind. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said, unsure how this revelation made him feel. It definitely affected him: he wanted to smile, wanted to rejoice in hearing that Sakura had finally realized how awful of a match the emotionless Uchiha was for her. Instead, he kept his cool. And he was damn proud of how well it did that.

"Don't be," Sakura responded, crossing her arms and looking away. "It never meant anything anyways."

 _Dammit._

Now he was smiling again. Good thing Sakura was still gazing in the other direction, since this mask failed to cover up his emotional indicators.

"Regardless," Kakashi reached out and drew her close again. "The Uchiha wasn't good enough for you," he said.

"Mmm," Sakura said. Kakashi wasn't sure if that was an agreement or not. But that did not matter, since his mind was elsewhere already.

 _Am_ I _good enough?_

But Kakashi didn't have enough time to think about that, as Pakkun sent him a signal. His hand tightened on Sakura's waist, and leaned in to whispered to her, "Pakkun is here, we need to find out what he's discovered."

Nodding, Sakura let Kakashi drag her from the dance floor and into an alleyway. They wound through the village for a few minutes until they were certain no one was following them, and they wouldn't be found.

Pakkun ran up a few seconds later, ears flopping with sprint.

He stopped in front and center to Kakashi and Sakura, and started reporting without preamble.

"I found several places that are pretty well defended, but I assume some of those areas relate to this Land's history, or precious items. There was one that seemed out of place, with an extraordinary amount of guards."

"Describe it to me," Kakashi demanded.

"It seemed to lead underground, but it was plain. Just gray concrete, airtight locks. But when someone walked through, I think I picked up the feint scent of plants."

"That might be the one. We can't go out again tonight, it would be too risky, but I need to you to survey this area a bit more. Once we have something definite, Sakura and I will make a move."

Nodding, the dog disappeared in a puff of smoke. Rubbing his forehead, Kakashi looked to Sakura. "Do you want to go back to the festival?"

Sakura's arms were crossed, one hand holding up her chin in deep thought. "No, my mind is back on mission-mode. Besides, Futoshi saw us, so our cover is still held in place."

Slight disappointment raked Kakashi for a moment, as he already missed the intimacy of dancing with Sakura, whispering secrets to her that he'd never expressed to anyone else, except the night sky and the graveyard. But he had to agree with her; the magic of the previous few hours was gone, and his body was on high alert now.

Then a load growl permeated the alleyway. Eyes wide, Kakashi looked at Sakura who rubbed the back of her head in an apologetic motion.

"Ha, sorry, but sounds like my stomach has other ideas," she said, embarrassed.

Kakashi laughed as well. "No problem. Let's grab some little bites to eat, and head back. We can munch back at the inn."

"Sounds like a plan."

Kakashi reached out a hand. Sakura stared at it for a split movement before swiftly taking it in hers. "Let's go, Kakashi," she smiled up at him.

He smiled back down, loving the way she looked at that moment, still living the lie they were betrothed.

They gathered their food, and after having a mini feast, they resealed the rooms and went to bed. Laying there, Kakashi found sleep not coming easy to him, but not in the usual way. It was because he found himself explicitly admitting his feelings for the first time that day, and his mind was moving so fast he would not let him rest.

Kakashi realizes he wants more than what he currently had…. Being _just_ friends.

He _wanted_ Sakura.

But he could control himself, and control his body. He would never act on these feelings, now that they were in the open, at least to himself. It would be suicide to do so.

But the problem was, nobody can control what dreams they have. 

And Kakashi dreamed of Sakura.


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's note:_

 _First of all, thank you to everyone that read/favorited/followed/commented on my story. Really, I am so glad people are enjoying this! It's a blast to write._

 _Secondly, sorry for the delay in updating (again). I was about to post, but then I decided to rewrite a lot of the final scene._

 _The next chapter has to be fleshed out a bit more, but after that, I have a lot of th rest written out already (I was v inspired). It's dramatic, fellas, lemme tell ya that much!_

 _Ok sorry that was a lot. Without further ado..._

* * *

When Kakashi woke, he felt a strange weight pressing down on his bare chest. He tried to remain calm, keep his eyes closed, and scan out for what his aggressor was trying to do.

But there was a distinct lack of movement around him, and no foreign chakra signatures. Still motionless, from habit Kakashi opened only his right eye. He stilled when he saw Sakura's arm draped over his body, her face pointing towards his shoulder, causing little winds of breath to brush on him. Somehow, during the night, they had shifted. Kakashi was baffled, as he typically never moved when he slept.

First, he sleeps through the night; now, he moved around in bed?

He started to sweat slightly, worried his revelation last night was the cause of this behavior. He'd thought with admitting his feelings, he could get over his attraction to Sakura, but it seemed his body had different ideas. His mind as well; all night, he dreamt they led a calm life, simply caring for dogs and herbal medicines, without having to worry about the call of their Hokage. It was blissful, and Kakashi longed for that feeling again.

He supposed he could enjoy her arm around him as a momentary replacement.

Trying not to be too creepy, Kakashi gazed lazily and happily at the sleepy-headed ninja. A small smile on her face, she snored through some captivating dream of her own. All the worry of impressing Tsunade as a protégé, living up to Naruto's heroics, and moving past Sasuke's antics were gone from her face in her peaceful sleep. Kakashi could see passed her all walls now: and there she was, the strong, fearsome, amazing Sakura. A world-renowned medic-nin, intelligent beyond belief, and with a well of chakra reserve that Kakashi envied. Hard to those she first meets, always trying to prove herself, but soft and caring to those she trusted. Her insecurities from childhood had not left her, but now she adapted them to her own uses, and she only came out more confident because of them.

Her arm pushed on his chest, and she wriggled ever so slightly closer to him. In a state of vulnerability, Kakashi brought free hand up to his face. Slowly, he tugged a finger underneath his mask – he was back to wearing his black one for the night – and started to pull it down. The brush of air on his upper lip was refreshing, and he desperately found himself wanting to expose his face to this pink-haired woman.

Then she snorted, sending a gust of air in Kakashi's face from the pure force of her nose muscles alone. She twitched in the motion of one waking up, and Kakashi hastily shoved his mask back up. In her half-sleep, Sakura removed her arm from his chest, instead using it to rub her face harshly.

"Grmmph," she grumbled, removing the sleep from her eyes. While shaking out her hair like a dog's, Kakashi laughed.

She jumped in the bed, clutching her chest. "Great Kami, Kakashi, don't scare me like that!"

"Scare you?" He asked, amused. "We've been sleeping the same bed for a few days now. Why did I scare you?"

"Hmm... I don't know," she replied, confused now. "Guess I've just gotten too used to it." She flipped around, which Kakashi was happy about because it meant she couldn't see the crinkles by his eyes from his smile at her words.

"What time is it?"

"Dunno," Kakashi said, folding his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.

"You don't know?" Sakura turned back to him. "You, Kakashi, the man stuck up about being on time whenever we have missions, _don't know the time_?"

"What do you mean, I was always late," Kakashi said, scrunching his forehead. But when he looked at Sakura, he saw the jesting light in her eyes, and rolled his own. "Oh. I see what's happening here."

"Not that sharp this morning, are you?" She continued to tease him, punching him on the shoulder. _Damn._ Kakashi tried not to show how much it hurt when she did that. She really didn't hold back her strength around other ninja. "What's gotten into you?"

"Not sure," Kakashi said, worried now she might go down a line of inquiry too dangerous to navigate. "Guess I figured it didn't matter what we did, since we can't do anything without Pakkun's next report."

Sakura could not voice her agreement, as with the mention of his name, with a _poof_ the pug appeared at the foot of their bed.

"Boss!" Pakkun shouted, his body taut with urgency, startling Kakashi. "I snuck in underground. The place is crawling with dirt, scientists, and laboratories. It's not pretty. There was some shouting, like people were in pain or sorrow. I could smell fear and death down there too, but I had to leave before I was spotted."

Kakashi let out a growl. "Darn. We won't be able to infiltrate during any distracting celebration, if there are people in pain. We can't sit around and wait. We'll have to make a plan and execute as soon as possible, hopefully tonight. Let's get ready for the day and start preparations."

"We should pack up too," Sakura added, already standing by her side of the bed. There was a dark, grim look on her face. "I have a feeling we won't be staying the night."

* * *

The next few hours went by in a blur. As Kakashi made the bed and packed their clothes, Sakura made shinobi food packets: small food pills with enormous amounts of calories that would last them days if they needed to flee quickly. Kakashi prayed it would not come to that; the pills always took a deep toll on his body after years of ANBU.

During their preparations, Pakkun returned to their inn room. In his mouth was a scroll with the Yamanaka seal.

Dropping it on the table where Kakashi was finishing up on the last backpack, Pakkun said "Found a Konoha messenger bird hiding outside. Assumed it was for you two."

Sakura dropped her work in the kitchen to sprint over, ripping he scroll from Kakashi's hand. Unfurling it, her eyes scanned quickly as she deciphered the basic ninja code.

"Well?" Kakashi prompted.

"They did a chemical analysis on the soil," Sakura said, still reading. "The same as before, since they've always been thorough and checked each package upon initial import into the village. But this time, they've found traces of hallucinogens in the bacteria, but small levels." She squinted. "Wait, she said they also reanalyzed after those samples came back, and found the density of the compounds was increasing significantly. After the third analysis, the chemical volume had doubled again."

"Dammit!" Sakura snarled, throwing the scroll to the side. She crossed her arms. "Something has been activated in the soil being imported, I have no doubt about it."

"Is that possible?" Kakashi asked, head cocked. "To do a remote biological activation?"

Sakura shook her head. "That's not what I mean." Gesturing in the air, she tried to explain. "It's simply a matter of _time_. I'm sure this special bacteria Futoshi and the Daimyo can't stop mentioning has a lifespan. At some point of maturity, bacteria can start releasing different chemicals. These ones probably happen to release some toxic chemical where our bodies respond to it as if it were a psychedelic or psychotic drug."

Kakashi's body went cold. "What exactly would it do to us, our village?"

Sakura shook her head again, eyes sorrowful. "We can't know for sure, without seeing empirical evidence. There are so many compounds out there, with different signs, symptoms, as well as effect manifestation."

"Empirical evidence?"

Now a look of desperation tossed Kakashi's way. "As in, waiting to see it affect one of our citizens."

Kakashi had had enough. "That's it," he announced. "We're not waiting for nightfall. We leave now."

* * *

As they ran through the shadows and rooftops, Kakashi's mind grew darker and darker. From the beginning, this town had seemed almost harmless. Tsunade had mentioned chemical warfare, but Futoshi seemed to dull to think of anything sinister. The Daimyo, while a bad father figure, did not seem to have the capabilities of a direct attack on the most powerful village in the region.

Then Kakashi glanced at Sakura, headband back proudly on her forehead. Her eyes were slits as she concentrated.

She did not seem to have the capabilities of a great shinobi, and she'd proven him wrong.

Goodness knows how many devastating events have occurred due to Kakashi being wrong.

Readying to find something monstrous, Kakashi tightened his fists behind him. Anything was possible, and from what Pakkun described, it sounded awful.

The pug led them through winding pathways until they reached a specific manhole on the outskirts of town. Kakashi tossed the cover to the side, allowing Pakkun and Sakura to dive in before he covered up their disappearance.

The sewer system was pristine in terms of upkeep. There was no source of light, but the walls and pipes were in such good condition, Kakashi wondered where all the workers must be if they had to maintain this constantly.

Sakura was occupied with a different train of thought. "This reminds me of that hidden base of Orochimaru," she said, rubbing her chin. "People only go to these lengths if they have something they really do not want discovered. Below ground also limits the exposure to sunlight, and keeps temperatures cool. Perfect experimentation climates."

Kakashi nodded along with her insights. That all made sense, if the Land of Mountain Streams was indeed cooking up some evil bacteria.

"They obviously keep this place extraordinarily clean too," she mentioned, touching the shining tile work that functioned as the sewer walls. "They must be disinfecting to prevent contamination, given the fact that if these waters were exposed, it would reach every nook and cranny of their village."

 _Hmm,_ Kakashi thought. There was his answer.

Pakkun also agreed. "That's also why it took me so long to find this place. I kept losing track of the scent. Everything being so hygienic or mixed with cleaning supply fragrances made me go in circles, or find those other vaults. But I finally found the way to what we are looking for."

After around half an hour more of sewer wandering, Pakkun's body grew stiff. "We're close. Time to keep it down." They become one with the shadows once more, drawing ever nearer to the gray wall Pakkun had described before. It was seamless with its surroundings; airtight, just as Pakkun had said. There was no doorknob visible, or an interface for admission.

The threesome found an indentation that covered their view as they waited for someone to pass through. They waited in absolute silence, barely even breathing, for fifteen more minutes. Then finally a man in a white cloak came down from above, dropping from a sewer ladder. He unsheathed a knife and a berry from his pocket, and stabbed the fruit. With the flick of his wrist, he sprayed the wall with the juice.

With a rumble, the wall started moving. It opened in the middle, mechanisms pulling each door into the walls of the sewer. The doors moved slowly, a mistake the Land of the Mountain streams would soon pay for, Kakashi hoped.

Once the scientist walked through the gate, Pakkun wagged his tail thrice – the signal to move in the count of three seconds.

 _One, two…_ Kakashi tapped on Sakura's shoulder. _Three_. He ran after Pakkun, trusting Sakura to catch on.

All three swiftly made it to the other side, trusting that the rumbling of the door would cover up any noise they made.

Kakashi took a quick awareness of the room. It was cold and musty, with crawling tubes winding about glassware in some sinister-looking experiments.

On the walls, cabinets overflowed with files and notebooks full of observations. On the other side, tables of sample soils lined the wall, each with different color codes. In the center, clear boards with different chemical equations and mechanisms illustrated the goals of this facility. The scientist from before walked straight across the room into a separate chamber that required a card to be swiped.

Pakkun continued, turning into a separate room, not taking the chance that someone would turn around and find three newcomers. This one smelled of manure and compost, and even Kakashi gagged from under his mask. Barrels of dirt crawled with worms and other composting insects, producing fresh natural products.

At the end of this room, there was a door with a keypad. "This is as far as I got last time, but I know the how to get in." Kakashi picked up Pakkun, allowing him to push in the code he'd seen someone else enter prior. With a hiss, the doors opened with a creak. Shouts and screams filled Kakashi's ears..

In a series of clicks, lights above them turned on, making their way down the hallway. It lit up a passageway, blinding Kakashi as he eyes adjusted to the brightness.

Forcing his body to advance, Kakashi made his way forward to inspect the objects in the room.

There were humans trapped in these cages, which Kakashi presumed were one-way glass, as they did not even indicate they saw Kakashi, Sakura, and Pakkun watching them. In the middle were classical metal bars separating the two subjects. One woman was curled in the corner, crying to the other.

The other, man, had a dead look in their eyes, his face completely relaxed. But he groped through the bars, reaching for the other. He tried to rip off the bars, trying his hardest to break through, but nothing was working. It was not the attempt to reunite with his lover, friend, whatever they were. It was something dark and dangerous.

The small woman cried to him. "Please, stop! Snap out of it!" But the man seemed to not hear her at all, and just kept reaching for her.

Sakura tapped Kakashi on the shoulder, and he turned to look farther down the hallway. He stopped breathing.

For as long as he could see, these cells lined the walls. Some were empty, but most were occupied. The one next to the woman and man had three people – two fighting back against one who kept punching, kicking, and biting. They screamed in pain, pushing off the man, but he kept approaching them no matter how much damage he took.

 _Slam!_

Kakashi flinched as someone rammed themselves against the glass in the adjacent cell. Blood remained where their head had made contact, but they did not seem to care. They kept running themselves into the walls, not reacting in the slightest.

Sakura and Kakashi kept walking down, Pakkun in toe, disgusted and repelled by every sight. In some cages, Kakashi also saw recently deceased collapsed on one another, their bodies still bleeding.

"Pakkun, it's time for you to go," Kakashi whispered. The pug nodded, and unsummoned himself.

It seemed that the Daimyo was having people fight each other, despite their previous relationships and affiliations. Although it did not appear to be by force, some unnatural aspect was at hand here.

It did not click until Kakashi saw someone sobbing over a mutilated body, asking for forgiveness.

"Why? Why did this happening?" The woman cried, caressing the face of another woman. "Dear sister, who did this to you?"

"The bacteria…" Kakashi said. Sakura's head turned. "You said it was a hallucinogen?"

Sakura nodded. "Of a sort."

"What if… it's making people's senses change? As in, affecting what they perceive as loved ones?"

Sakura watched the sister arch her back over her sister, whom she must have killed in self-defense. "That's entirely possible. But horrific."

The door opened on the other side of the sister's cell, and she looked up in a panic, running to the wall with Sakura and Kakashi. She plastered herself against the glass, to no avail.

In walked the Daimyo himself, clapping. Three scientists clad in coats followed him, taking quick notes on their clipboards. "Well, you survived her attack. Thank you, this was our most successful experiments, and most informative."

"What's wrong with you?" The woman spat, breathing heavily. "Please, just let me go. I just want to go home."

The Daimyo shook his head. "Well, that's just unfortunate. Because you've been exposed as well."

The woman shook her head. "No, I saw what you did to her! I never got injected!"

The Daimyo rubbed his head. "Oh, boy, am I really wrong?" He looked at his scientists innocently, who remained impassive in their stares back. "I, the Lord of the Mountain Streams, am _wrong_?"

He started walking towards the woman. The fear was evident in the her, as she cowered even more, visible tremors shaking her body. He brushed her hair to the side.

"You see, we've been treating you alright, haven't we? Keeping you fed down here, giving you a nice place to sleep? In exchange of seeing your sister?"

Finding an ounce of courage, the woman slapped his hand away. "Just to pin her down and give her a dose of some weird shit, you animal!"

The Daimyo stared at his hand, and then tutted. "Well, I kept my word, didn't I? You still got to see her." He walked to the dead body, kicking it. "She reacted fast to the drug, but you… you've proven that all of our planning has worked. That our time is near, and my revenge will be coming soon."

The woman clenched her fists. "Excuse me?"

The Daimyo snapped his fingers, and a scientist quickly scampered up to him and pointed to some data on his clipboard. "Well, from our calculations, you should be reacting to the same chemical in your food in just a few minutes."

Kakashi's blood went cold.

"See you," the Daimyo fluttered his fingertips, and let the stunned woman come to terms with his words. He exited, the doors closing taking the last ounce of hope from the woman, who collapsed on the ground in tears.

Not being able to bear watching this any longer, Kakashi ran.

"Kakashi!" Sakura shouted after him. But he did not care. This man had to pay. Torture, human experiments, manipulation? It was disgusting. The cages all around him turned into blurs, mixing into one another. They conglomerated together into one massive pile of unrestrained, unintentional betrayal.

He slowed down until he finally reached the end of the massive hall, where a door waited Kakashi to tear down. As he was preparing his hand motions, he glanced to his side.

A knife in his hand, a man wept as he stood near the wall of his cell. Another man with countless scratches, cuts, and bruises picked himself up from the floor by the opposite wall. As before, the first man was pleading as he cried, to no avail. It was obvious this infection took away any self-control or awareness in the specimen. Pain receptors appeared to be blocked as well, as even as blood dripped around him, the man stood up with no problem and began lurching to the other in puppeteer motions.

"I'm sorry!" The man yelled, and in one quick thrust, stabbed the other man in the stomach with such force the knife protruded out of the man's back. The lifeless figure fell limp on his arm, any sense of soul seeping away. They fell to the ground together, and the man clutched his cellmate in anguish.

With that, Kakashi's mind went black.

The holding cells around him disappeared, fading into darkness. He was just a body, suspended in by some unknown force. Then his hand, by its own volition, brought itself in to the air. Shaking violently, sparks flashed around his palm, drifting into the abyss and eventually fading away. Light flickered around his fingertips, soon joined by the sharp chirping of birds. Eyes widening, Kakashi wondered how this jutsu could be summoned; he did not feel any expenditure of chakra.

In a flash, his hand disappeared as well. His arm was stuck in a black wall, sticky and wet all around. Every movement of his arm, elicited a groan of pain and despair, and Kakashi froze.

Fearing the worst, Kakashi bent his neck upward. Brown eyes full of desperation looked above at the darkened sky, filling with tears. Kakashi's Sharingan pulsed as he came to terms with what just happened.

"Rin, no!" He fully extracted his arm from her chest, causing Rin to fall backwards with no grace. Crumbling to his knees, Kakashi clutched his face in his hands. "I didn't mean to! I didn't mean no! I'm so sorry! Rin!"

Shaking his head violently, Kakashi tried to remove the picture from his mind. But it persevered, and the more Kakashi fought it, the clearer it became. The Mist Ninja plot, the pain of losing Obito. It all came crashing down on Kakashi, magnified by his lingering guilt.

"I'm so sorry!" He cried. "Obito, Rin!"

"Kakashi!" A distant voice was yelling out for him, but Rin's body still lay motionless in front of him, taunting his failure in keeping his promise to keep her safe. His body shook, the shock overtaking him. He couldn't protect Obito, so and he couldn't protect Rin when she'd needed him the most. Everyone close to him died eventually. Minato, Obito, Jiraiya, Kushina, Asuma… the list went on and on. A legendary ninja, he wasn't. He was a failure of a friend, a failure of a ninja, a failure of a person, a failure…

" _Kakashi!"_

Someone was shaking him, and relenting, Kakashi removed his hands from his eyes. A medic nin peered down at him, where he lay on the floor, curled up in a ball.

"Kakashi, what's the matter with you? Who are Obito and Rin?" Hands attempted to uncurl him, but his muscles felt paralyzed and refused to move.

"Rin?" Kakashi asked. He reached out to the woman. "Is that you?"

"This isn't good," she muttered, looking around. Dragging Kakashi by the shirt behind her, she ripped open the door and stepped through the threshold. It was cold and damp in this room, and Kakashi leaned against the wall, still in anguish.

A soft, calming light glittered around his chest, his shoulders, his face. The person in front of him was still blurry, with the wall the only object in the room Kakashi could focus on. Under his breath, he kept whispering. "I'm sorry, I never meant to. I swear. I swear…"

Swearing to the side, the medic-nin turned off her healing chakra. Instead, she took his face in her hands, and tried to get him to look at her. His eyes felt heavy and lazy, jostling all around until he finally tied himself to her emerald beacons. Emerald. She wasn't Rin. Rin didn't have green eyes. These eyes were beautiful, some of the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. Only one person held these eyes.

"S…Sakura?"

Her eyes creased, tears clustering in the corners. "Kakashi," she cried, and wrapped her arms around him. "I was so scared, I couldn't find anything wrong with you, I thought you'd gotten infected too."

Still semi-paralyzed against the wall, he simply nuzzled his nose into her shoulder. "No, no… I'm so sorry, that's never happened to me before. I don't even know what happened."

She pulled away, and Kakashi missed her soft hair against his cheek. It was so calming.

"Kakashi, I think you just had a PTSD episode," she said, turning on her medical-voice. "have you ever had one before?"

"PTSD?"

"Post-traumatic stress disorder. After a traumatic event, sometimes the body relives the memory after triggers, can also causes insomnia and nightmares. Has that ever happened to you?"

Silent, Kakashi moved his mouth. He did, but he figured it was just guilt plaguing him. "I–"

With a crash, a door on the opposite side of the room burst oopen. The Daimyo, full of glory and fury, stood there with his entourage.

A look of shock flashed on his face, but then he took in Kakashi's Jonin uniform.

"Leaf ninja," he spat.

Scrambling to her feet, Sakura placed herself in a fighting stance. Kakashi remained motionless on the ground, adrenaline from his episode draining away.

"Mr. Hate and Ms. Haru," the Daimyo continued. "I should have known. There was always something off about you two."

"Something off about _us_?" Asked, dumbfounded. "We aren't the ones conducting illegal experiments!"

The Daimyo smirked. "That you know about, poor girl. Every village has its secrets."

Arm quaking in effort, Kakashi lifted himself up to a crouch. Grimacing, he shouted at the Daimyo. "What is the meaning of all of this? I thought your people were peaceful, simply caring for your land. You lied to us, lied to everyone." He pointed all around him, his voice growing louder with each word.

"When did I lie?" The Daimyo shouted back. "Us Mountain Stream people _are_ the caretakers of special bacteria that enhances the soil here. But we also developed a way to take that bacteria that cultivated the land and turn it sour, contaminating the food and disrupting people's cognitive abilities, making them recognize their loved ones as enemies." He laughed. "That's how we _really_ issued our ultimatum to make Fire and Earth leave us alone. They could either perish, or leave us be."

"But what's the point now?" Emotion broke through in Kakashi's voice. "If you wanted to be let be, why all of this torture, this planning, this experimentation? It's inhumane!"

The Daimyo stepped forward, pointing accusatory at Kakashi. "Inhumane? _Inhumane?_ You want to talk about what's inhumane?" His eyes were seeing red. "How about your own village! You leaf ninja murdered my wife in cold blood, without reason. There was no retribution, or apologies. You are all heathens, living without care for the rest of the world! You do not think about the impact of who else you affect outside of your own precious village."

 _What?_ Kakashi traced his memories, and one faded, muddled in alcohol broke through. Sakura had found out as much after her arm wrestling session.

Kakashi shook his head. That incident, he remembered learning about it, a long time ago.

Sarutobi sensei had called it a tragic accident; the leaf ninja's target had been some high-profile politician seeking asylum in this land. Mistaking the Daimyo's wife as the target, they'd killed her. They'd been rebuked, but Sarutobi could not bring anyone back to life, and left the incident as just that – a mistake that meant nothing to the Leaf.

It was just like Nagato's situation. A small mistake from the Leaf was about to cost them their entire home.

It was true; Leaf Village, as the Daimyo said, was not the straightest arrow. But right now, Kakashi's home was in danger, and he would protect the village with his life, as was his duty.

Shaking his head, Kakashi focused on the evil man. "The moral of a story often depends on the temper of the man telling it. You do not have all of the facts," he spat at the Daimyo.

"I have all the facts that I think are necessary!" The Daimyo yelled. "And now everything you love will perish, as mine did."

Kakashi felt a tug on his arm. Sakura jutted her head to the exit. "There's no point in staying here any longer," Sakura said, teeth tight. "The longer we stay, the deeper the infestation gets back in the village. We have to go."

Knowing she was correct, Kakashi let her pull him towards the door.

"oh, no you don't!" The Daimyo shouted. Gesturing at his scientists, he commanded, "get them!"

Utterly confused at what they could do, the scientists looked at each other, and back at the ninja.

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi stepped through the doorframe. Then something caught his eye. Boxes labeled _ready for export_ lined the room from floor to ceiling. They were in a storage room.

While Kakashi knew they should leave, he could not leave without doing _something_. Recalling the proper jutsu, Kakashi made the hand signs for the Uchiha's fireball, releasing it around him. The spoil ignited, the fertilizer exploding in horrid smells. The scientists behind him crawled back through their door, screaming, as they ran away in fright. As the bacteria perished around him, flames lighting up his face, the Lord shook his head as he backed away.

"Good effort, but the damage is already done. I will have my revenge, and—"

In a pink flash, Sakura ran up to the Daimyo and clipped him on the side with a high kick. He fell over, landing in a pile of burning fertilizer.

Kakashi, aghast, gaped at her.

Emerald eyes cold and serious, she beckoned Kakashi. "We have no more time left to lose. Come on."

When Sakura became this serious, Kakashi knew there was nothing he could do but follow orders, or feel the wrath of the mini Tsunade. With a nod, he followed the pink-haired shinobi, and together the two of them vanished back into the sewers, and out of the village, into the forest.


	11. Chapter 11

_On their way back to the village, Sakura makes Kakashi confront his past. But will that be the end of Kakashi?_

 _Author's note:_

 _Sorry this took longer than expected... we all know Kakashi's story, so I struggled with telling Sakura but not boring us in just a repetition of Part 2 storylines._

 _Hope it's okay 3 I just want Kakashi to be loved_

 _Yoohyuk thank you as always 3_

* * *

The whisk of the wind by his ears, and the soft _tap_ of his sandals against branches. Those were the only two sounds that accompanied the pair of ninja as they focused all their energy and chakra into sprinting back to Konoha.

It had taken them about a week to reach the Land of Mountain Streams, but that had been at a leisurely pace, and no sense of urgency. Now, at full speed and no breaks, Kakashi estimated it would take them maybe two full days of continuous tree hopping to get back to the Leaf Village. Thank goodness Sakura had made the ninja pills.

Kakashi popped one into his mouth now as the final remains of adrenaline that had rushed through his body at the experimentation center left him. Immediately he felt the effects. His muscle's tiredness disappeared, his eye no longer felt droopy, and his chakra supply rebounded slightly.

A few branches ahead of him, Sakura soldiered on, not bothering to replenish any energy since they'd fled from the scene a few hours ago. Her speed and agility in the trees where like that of a Hyuga's; she sensed every tree and branch around her, snaking in the forest like she had an eye in the back of her head. The swiftness even topped Kakashi's, who was content to let her take the lead on this portion of the mission. But while the pace she set was necessary, Kakashi worried whether it was sustainable.

One day into the monotonous running, Kakashi's body was catching up to him. Compared to anyone else, Kakashi's body was in top condition. He could last for hours in the battlefield, and days in the sun without food. But age was something even he could not prevent, not without Tsunade's special jutsu. His muscle aches did not leave him with additional pills, and his chakra reserves were almost running dry. If he lost concentration for even a moment, he might slip and fall from the treetops.

Pushing himself, he reached Sakura and relayed as much. She stared on ahead, never faltering for a moment in her focus. It turned out, Sakura was in peak shape, and barely was feeling the lethargy that he did.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, but we can't stop for anything. With every second that passes, more might be getting infected. We have no idea what the state of our village is like."

Understanding, Kakashi nodded. "Very well. Then you must leave me, and continue on."

"What? No!" Finally turning to her fellow ninja, Sakura yelped. "We need to arrive together. As one, our message will be stronger."

Annoyed, Kakashi shook his head. "I'm not sure what other option we have, Sakura, if reaching home quickly is more important."

Grinding her teeth, Sakura thought. After slowing down and finally coming to a stop, she reached into her med kit.

"Dammit, I don't have any military rations," she grumbled, sifting through the arrangement of medicines in her hand.

"Neither do I," Kakashi said, showing empty hands. Although necessary for survival, Kakashi typically never carried any with him out of fear of the chakra repercussions. He'd exhausted his reserves so many times to the point of abuse, he believed that after the three days' non-stop immeasurable chakra power, he would never be able to recover again.

"And the food pills I have aren't helping anymore?" She asked.

"Like I said, I'm past the point of just needing food," Kakashi restated. "I need rest, Sakura. Just go, I'll be fine."

"No," she said, stubborn like her teacher. "Here." She shifted her pack to the front of her body, exposing her back. Bending down slightly, she looked to Kakashi. "Get on."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, I remember you did this with Guy Sensei a while back. Just get on, and we'll be faster."

Waving his hands in the air, Kakashi shook his head. "Oh no, no no no. That was entirely against my will, and after using my Sharingan extensively. Right now, I'm specifically trying to _not_ reach that point again. Seriously Sakura, we're wasting time. Besides, I don't think you can carry me for half a day, at a sprint."

That as clearly the wrong thing to say. With a look that would send Naruto running to Iruka, Sakura stared down Kakashi. "Get. On. My. Back. NOW!"

Chills running down his spine, with a small _yelp_ Kakashi scrambled on her back. She hefted them both up, fixing her grip on his legs. "Try to hold on," she said, and took off again.

Wind tore at Kakahsi's face yet again, this time at a speed that caused tears to form in his eyes. He juggled up and down on Sakrua's back slightly, but her running form was in tip top shape and she remained relatively smooth from branch to branch. It appeared that Kakashi had only been slowing them down the entire journey, and he was instantly filled with shame.

His arms around her chest, he also felt very self-conscious about his body positioning. Without the distraction of muscle pain, and the requirement to focus on his next footsteps, his blinding attraction to Sakura was once again front and center in his mind. Her insane strength only heightened his infatuation, and Kakashi closed his eyes to get her out of his head. But it was impossible with her underneath him, exerting herself, proving how much she'd grown yet again. And with darkness surrounding him, he could almost pretend his was at home, with Sakura…

 _No_. That thought was dangerous, given the circumstances, and his position on her. He stopped himself, and tried to think of _anything_ else. Ramen. Waterfalls. Naruto.

Ah, Naruto. That worked.

He wondered what Naruto was up to right now. Hopefully not still doing the medial tasks Tsunade had viciously threatened him with; Naruto might be a lot to handle, but he did his best work when he was passionate about what he was doing. Pointless errands were _not_ the way to inspire him.

An image appeared in Kakashi's mind: a small genin, with a bright orange jumpsuit and a fresh forehead protector. _"My dream is to become the greatest Hokage!"_ Kakashi smiled. That kid was something, alright.

Then the smiling blonde with a thumb in the air blurred, morphing. His hair darkened, and the headband became covered by a pair of goggles. The orange of the jumpsuit vanished, the color only staying on the edges of the black outfit that grew from underneath.

Naruto's blue eyes, bright with his future, blinked once and became blood red.

 _I wanted to become Hokage too, Kakashi. But who took that dream away from me?_

Kakashi flinched at the accusation. He closed his eyes even more as if that would banish the image from his mind, tightening his hold on Sakura.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should have been faster, smarter…" he whispered to Obito, whose pair of Sharingan twisted and developed into Mangekyo Sharingan. Everything else fell away, and all that was left was Kakashi in a world of black and red. It was if he was in Tsukuyomi again, with the emotional pain hitting him in every nerve.

"—too tight, Kakashi," a voice called him back, and he opened his eyes. A tree branch immediately wacked him in the face, and he yelped in pain.

"Kakashi, please!" Sakura grunted. She tossed her head, hitting Kakashi in the side of his head.

"Ugh, what, Sakura?" He complained, bringing up one hand to rub his scratched eye.

"You're choking me! Can you relax a little?"

Looking down, Kakashi saw his arm had risen to be holding on to Sakura by the neck. He loosened his grip at once, and shimmied down her torso. "Oh, I'm sorry," he whispered.

"S'okay," Sakura said, breathing slightly easier now. "But that's the second time you've been unresponsive in a few days. Are you okay, Kakashi? Please, be honest," she added, a note of desperation in her voice.

"I… I truly don't know what you mean," Kakashi admitted.

He could feel Sakura's eye roll. "This was just like back at the hidden compound – you became stiff, and talked to someone. What's going on, Kakashi? If you just tell me, I might be able to help."

Again, Kakashi trailed off. "I…" He wasn't sure where to begin. What had happened back at the Land of Mountain Streams, it had felt like his dreams in the past. Rin and Obito haunting, taunting him. But it had happened when he was awake, and he wasn't sure what to make of that.

Shimmying on her back, Kakashi moved so his mouth was closer to her ear. Quietly, he asked, "You had called it... what was it?"

"PTSD?" Sakura said.

"Yeah, that… why did you say that? What does that mean?"

Sakura fell quiet, and the rhythmic sound of her feet lightly touching each branch became a metronome for Kakashi's heartbeat.

"It means," Sakura started, "that after you've experienced something that was either emotionally or physically traumatic in your life, it could have left a scar on you. But not on your body – in your mind."

"My… my mind?" Kakashi shuddered. People could lie, so he couldn't trust his ears. Genjutsu could alter what he saw. His mind was all that he trusted.

"Yes, your mind. Essentially, given the right stimuli, your mind could revert to when that scar was created, since it never healed. So you experience… episodes, were you aren't aware of your surroundings, or you relive the moment." Sakura breathed heavily through her words.

"Let's talk about it later, this can't be helpful given my extra weight," Kakashi said.

"No," Sakura denied. "I'm not letting you ignore this issue. It's one that is prominent in Konoha, and one that for some reason, everyone seems to ignore!" She sighed, her pace slowing down just a moment. "Besides, talking with you helps remove the horror situations I'm playing in my mind. It helps me."

Biting his lip, Kakashi could not find a valid argument against trying to understand his issues.

"I… I guess then, it would be because of my past…" he started. Pausing, he waited for Sakura to intervene already with questions, inquiries, or medical prods into his history. But she simply waited.

"I mean, since a little after I became a Chunin, I've had nightmares every night. Nightmares of… of my past missions, of my teammates."

"In general, or specific ones?" Sakura piped up.

"Specific," Kakashi quickly stated. "Definitely specific."

The memory became fresh in his mind yet again. But this time, he imagined himself in Obito's place: and he pushed his teammates out of the cave, letting the rock crush him instead. If only.

"If only…" he whispered, tears building up.

"Kakashi?" Sakura piped up. "You're doing it again."

"Oh, my Kami," he whispered. "I guess you're right…"

Sakura risked a glance up to Kakashi, her eyes pleading with all their worth. "I know you don't like to share. I _know_ it's scary to let someone in. But please, Kakashi. I only want to help. Do you trust me?"

Kakashi breathed in, his lungs reacting harshly to the chilly air. All the nerves on his body stood on end, as if this moment right here, with him on Sakura's back in quite an unmanly manner being carried back home, would determine his future.

He breathed out. "I do trust you."

And so, for the first time in his life, he conceded his story.

He started out by describing his team. Naruto's father, the ever-bright, lightning man that was Minato Namikaze himself, the fourth Hokage. Rin Nohara, the pleasant, smart, peacemaker of the trio which was completed by Obito.

"Obito Uchiha…" Kakashi murmured. "He hated my guts at first. Something about my natural talent and good charms. Called me 'Bakashi' and resented my quick climb through the shinobi ranks. Gosh, he made me so mad at times. All of his ignorant questions, all of his boasting, and always running late…"

Sakura chuckled under him. "Sounds like someone else I know," she murmured, not wanting to stop his confession.

"We went through so much together. With them, I learned about the bell test. Teamwork. Comraderie. But I couldn't… I couldn't move past what my father had done to me."

"The White Fang?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi bowed his head to the side. "Yes," he confirmed, defeated. "The dishonor and shame I felt at my father stayed with me for years. The thought of abandoning a mission, for any reason, filled me with anger and distaste. This ideal was my mantra. That those that break the rules and regulations are scum. No matter what, I followed the rules. I would _never_ place anything above my duty."

He went on to describe the events of the Second Shinobi World War. Minato being called to the front lines, Stone Ninja capturing Rin. Obito demanding to rescue her. Kakashi's refusal.

And Obito's accusation.

"He called me worse than scum for abandoning my friends," Kakashi said, his voice dropping ever lower as he made his way through his story. "And he was right. I realized the error in my ways. Alone, we can accomplish nothing in this world. Alone, we are stagnant. We must stay together. So I left the mission too, to help him rescue Rin. And that's where it all really starts."

The pain of Obito's body being crushed by the boulder sat on Kakashi's mind with the weight of a thousand suns. He described the sound in ominous detail, shudders rolling down his spine. The painful look in Obito's eyes mixed with the pride he felt at finally forming a kinship with Kakashi tore at Kakashi's heart.

"But that wasn't it," his grip tightened on Sakura's shoulders. "Rin… they…" he breathed in. He'd never really said this out loud. Only to himself in the mirror, begging his mind to stop, or in his sleep with the windows tightly shut. The tears that threatened his eyes poked hard at his head, and his left eye seared.

"I didn't mean to do it, but I did," he whispered, the trees around him fading out. Rain replaced the leaves. "She stepped in front of me. I understand why she did it. I refused to help her. Because I couldn't kill her. But she made me do it."

He buried his face in Sakura's shoulder, the tears finally erupting.

Sakura tried to murmur comforting words, but she was truthfully speechless. Digging into Kakashi's past was much more painful than she could have imagined. Finding out what made her former sensei who he was, while intellectually invaluable, broke her heart. She thought his story was done, and her heart fell even further in her chest when he spoke again.

"Of course, that wasn't the end of it."

Kakashi reminded her of the Kaguya Otsutsuki Strikes, a series of memories Sakura never wanted to relive. The horror, duration, and decisive pain from those events were buried deep within her; the experience influenced who she was, but she never wanted to confront it again.

"That… that man who helped us. Tobi. That was Obito."

Sakura's breathing stopped for a second, and she faltered in her step. Pushing too much chakra into her foot in an attempt to regain traction, the next branch snapped and the pair went tumbling onto the ground. After letting go of Kakashi mid-fall, Sakura tumbled on the ground several yards before looking up, hair disheveled. Kakashi had rolled without grace just next to her, ending up on his back, legs splayed in front of him, his pack to the side. He made no move to get up.

Sakura snagged her backpack and crawled to Kakashi.

"That half-bodied Uchiha was _Obito_?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi nodded, a silent stream of water falling from his eye. "And it's not as if he was mad at me. He was just trying to make the world a better place, even if it was a twisted way of going about it." Groaning, he sat up, holding his back with a grimace. "In the end, he even sacrificed himself to save me. _Again_." His head fell to his chest, a black cloud of despair hovering over him. "I don't care what he did. Obito was a good man. I'm forever in his debt. But no matter how I look at it, no matter how many times I visit his memorial, I know… if I hadn't had my head stuck of my ass when I was younger, everything would be different."

Kakashi sniffed, and looked away from Sakura. "My stupid pride, my stupid sense of _duty_ was the end of everything. I should have helped Obito rescue Rin without hesitation. She was my teammate. If we had gotten there sooner, if Obito hadn't been found by Madara… Minato would be alive, Rin would be alive… the Uchiha clan wouldn't be decimated. This is _all_ my fault."

Shaking his head violently, Kakashi whispered his last grievance.

"I've decided it is better to not let people get close to me, since I'm unable… I'm unable to protect them. Those I love die."

And with that declaration, a dam built up for more than twenty years, reinforced with hard material, scraps, and dirt, with signs miles away warning anyone from even venturing near its proximity, broke.

And Kakashi wept.

Buckling over, Kakashi, the man without emotions, the blasé Copy Ninja, the honored Jonin, cried into his hands. All of his pain, emotions, and guilt crashed over him in wave after wave. He could see it: a peaceful world, a harmonious village, and a content life with his dogs. He didn't need the fame that came with 'Kakashi of the Sharingan'. Being the White Fang's son even came with too much attention. All he wanted in life was quiet, and because of his idiocy, the world was in chaos.

Astounded, Sakura watched with wide eyes. She thought she had been discovering what made up Kakashi – what had played a part in building the man she saw before her. Instead, she'd uncovered the opposite. Kakashi's past broke him. So much potential, so much strength, so much intellect, kicked down and discarded due to a traumatizing history. This man had so much love to give, but life played him dirty, causing him to be closed off, slow to trust, yet still immensely loyal.

All his lessons made perfect sense to Sakura now. The incessant lessons on teamwork, honesty, trust, and most of all – never abandoning your team – came directly from his experiences.

Sakura's focus shifted back to the broken man in front of her. Still weeping silently, Sakura crawled closer, to sit right in front of him in between his legs. On her knees, she wrapped him in a hug, trying to convey how much she supported him.

It took a moment for Kakashi to discern what was happening around him, but once he did, he accepted her hug with little pause. He grasped to her as if she was his lifeline. The muscles she felt under his clothes were nothing more than a shield he'd developed over time to keep people out. To keep people from getting hurt by him again.

Rubbing his back, Sakura started to sway, like her mother did whenever she came home from school with another tale of bullying.

"I am not saying what you are feeling is invalid, but that's _not true,_ Kakashi," she murmured to him, voice low and bursting with compassion. "You cannot – may not – blame yourself. You were just a child."

Shaking his head, Kakashi mumbled into her shoulder, "I was a Jonin!"

"A child nonetheless," Sakura stated again, voice firm. Pulling away from Kakashi, he still felt limp in her arms, looking to the ground. Shifting, she put her his face in her hands, much like she had when he'd been lost in his episode.

He relented to having his face turn, and as Sakura wiped away his tears, a couple of her own formed. "I told you once before that you had to forgive yourself, but if you couldn't I would for you. I can't do that this time. You need to forgive yourself, Kakashi, wholly. All this pain, this weight. It is dragging you down. The fact you still maintained to be the amazing person that you are is a testament to your strength, but it can't last forever."

The emerald in her eyes twinkled as water reflected the dim light that reached them through the tree branches up above. In her irises, Kakashi saw what she saw. A whole world, vibrant, full of possibility, if only he could move on from his past. His past that shrouded his every action, his every thought, with a cold despair and cynicism. A world where nothing is truly predictable, no matter how hard shinobi try. There was no way Kakashi could know what would have happened if he hadn't been stubborn, and angry at his father. There was no way Kakashi could have foreseen Madara's revival. This world was complicated, frustrating… but what in front of him was beautiful. A world of pink hair, light laugher, crying shoulders, and listening ears. There was a whole world in front of him for the taking, if only he could stand up and act.

"Please, Kakashi. I can't force you," Sakura whispered, her own tears now pouring over her cheeks. "And I know it's hard. But—"

"I do," Kakashi cut her off.

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"I do," Kakashi repeated. "Forgive myself. You're right." He peeled her hands from his cheeks, holding them tightly in his lap. His heart was pounding, ready to make the move. He had to be brave, because after this, there was no turning back.

Sakura looked startled. "That quickly?"

Slowly, Kakashi raised one hand. Sakura stopped breathing as she saw the trajectory. Delicately, he grasped his mask, lowering it to reveal a full-toothed smile.

"That quickly," he said. "You made it easy."

Staring at the lower part of his face, Sakara's mouth hung open. He noticed her pupils dilate, nostrils flare slightly. He brought one hand to her hair, tucking it behind her ear, smoothly transitioning to cupping her neck. Tugging on their one adjoined hand, he brought her closer, forcing her to lean forward on her knees. Sakura's cheeks flared red, her eyes widening ever further as she offered no resistance.

As he pulled her towards him, she leapt to close the space.

But she threw her arms around his torso, climbing into his lap, legs parallel to his own. He froze, arm still extended, reaching out to where her head used to be.

Kakashi could feel her own heart beating a mile a minute as she nuzzled her face into the nook on his neck.

"Thank you," she whispered, "for trusting me."

Murmuring soft noises, Kakashi replied, "Thank you for letting me."

Wrapping her in his arms, the pair sat there, the comfort they found with each other warming their hearts.

* * *

 _MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH for kakashi! He's finally forgiven himself! But he made a move, and it didn't work :'(_

 _(Also side note, I really wanted to talk about how Sakura wants to open a psych ward at the Konoha hospital, but it felt weird to insert. But I feel like she'd def try to start that? Considering the Ninja world really doesn't care about the psychological injuries their soldiers have, Sakura would be revolutionary in her thinking. But maybe that's another fic)_


	12. Chapter 12

Sakura and Kakashi finally make it back to the village. But were they quick enough?

 _Author's note:_ _OK I KNOW I said this would be the last chapter, and I KNOW I keep saying I have the last written, and I DO! It just ended up being almost 10,000 words total, so I decided to split it up into this chapter and the next (actual) final chapter.  
_

 _Please enjoy this chapter! I'm working on my skills on large battle scenes, so bear with me._

* * *

After their post-self-apology embrace, Sakura had seemed to snap back into full-ninja mode, remembering their ever-shortening time pressure. She brushed the leaves off of her outfit, and nodded.

"We have to get back. Let's continue." Without celebration, she picked up her backpack, and zipped into the trees.

Finding renewed energy after that previous ordeal, Kakashi ran aside Sakura as they had made their way home. Mind finally clear for what felt like the first time in forever, he'd felt like a new man. Sakura's obvious rejection from earlier hurt him, but it did not counterbalance the freedom and ease he found in his renewed heart.

It only took another hour or so before the foliage separated, revealing the outline of Konoha. Kakashi started to take the lead, turning them towards the great entrance ready to confront Kotetsu and Izumo into letting them in with haste. Sakura grabbed his shoulder, shaking her head. Being the Hokage's student for so long had given her insights unbeknownst to Jonin even of Kakashi's stature – which apparently included secret passageways in and out of the Hokage's tower. Kakashi always knew they existed, and presumed Tsunade used them to get away from her stacks of paperwork in favor of a glass of sake. Seeing them, however, was a revelation.

Unfortunately, time did not allow him to explore, as Sakura skipped up the stairs to open a trapdoor that led them directly into Tsunade's quarters. Without help, she leapt up and hefted herself into the room. Scrambling after her, Kakashi could hear a conversation suddenly stop as surprise overstepped whatever the topic previously being discussed. Breathing heavily, the entire journey catching up to Kakashi, Kakashi rested with his hands on his knees. Sakura stood at attention by Tsunade's desk, back straight, all business. Getting an awareness of his surroundings, Kakashi saw Shikamaru looking astounded at the pair, the first time Kakashi had ever seen something remotely like shock on the Nara clan head's face. A scroll in his hands, he obviously had been going through some important business.

Tsunade's wide eyes, on the other hand, quickly recovered. Shifting her gaze from her student to Kakashi, she quipped, "Sakura, what in the world did you do to my Copy Ninja, to make him breathless?" Standing from her seat, she circled around her desk to sit on the edge, crossing her arms. "Furthermore, what is the world do you think warrants using my secret tunnels, _interrupting_ my private meeting with Shikamaru?"

Shivers flew down Kakashi's spine, prompting him to stand straight along with Sakura. The Hokage's tone affected him immensely, but clearly Sakura was used to it by now, or she'd grew accustomed to it enough to hide any infliction she might have from her master.

Eyeing Shikamaru without a care, Sakura stepped up to cut him off completely. "I assume you've been made aware of the soil sample I had Ino analyze," she began.

Tilting slightly, Tsunade looked at Shikamaru over Sakura's shoulder. "The what?"

Whirling around, Sakura's hair flared. Kakashi kept his face neutral, knowing he would not want to be on the other end of her fury, given the situation.

Although a good foot shorter than the shadow master, Sakura drew closer to Shikamaru, forcing him back against the wall. "You _didn't tell her_?" She growled. Shaking his head, Shikamaru fumbled.

"No, no, not yet. I mean, was all purely circumstantial," he said. "We wanted to wait for something more concrete."

Spinning again, Sakura turned back to Tsunade. "Well, here's something concrete: we were told by the Daimyo himself our data is substantiated. We need to act _now_ ; we don't know how badly we're already infected."

"Infected? Data? Someone, explain," Tsunade commanded, making her way around her desk again to sit at her chair expectantly.

Sakura, gesturing wildly, started going through all the events she and Kakashi had uncovered while in the Land of Mountain Streams. When necessary, Kakashi chimed in to agree and supplement Sakura's account. After just a few minutes, as Tsunade drew her clasped hands closer and closer to her face, she smacked her hands on the desk.

"Enough." She stood, assertive. "I've heard enough." She sank deep into her seat, hands now on her forehead. "This is awful. What do I do? Separate families? That will cause a panic. I can't just raid homes." Shifting, Tsunade made a move to look down from her window at the village that was entrusted to her be under her protection.

"If we can't trust our loved ones, who can we trust?" She asked no one in particular.

The weight of the question fell on Kakashi. He'd been mentally preparing for the imminent battles between clans, between villages. But the emotional devastation hadn't crossed his mind, and now he saw just how much worse that would be.

Shaking her head, Tsunade gathered her powerful stance. Turning around, she barked orders. "Shikamaru, go let Kotetsu and Izumo know they need to secure the gates and borders. I presume an attack is approaching us as we speak. Get Gai and his team to scout and figure out exactly what the situation is out there." She turned to Sakura. "Sakura, get Ino and Shizune and start prepping the hospital for a cleanse. We need to start research for an antidote _now_. Time is of the essence."

Eyes darkening, she finally turned to Kakashi. "And _you_ , mister, have exhausted your chakra supply one too many times. Take him with you, Sakura," Tsunade ordered with a flick of her wrist, acting as if Kakashi were only a bothersome fly zooming around her face. "He'll be of no use to this village in his current state."

Protesting, Kakashi took one step forward. "Tsunade-san, that's not true –" He was immediately silenced by a hand in the air.

"I won't hear any of it. It wastes your breath, and our precious time. See to it, and I'll have more instructions later."

Thinning his lips, Kakashi bowed reluctantly along with the other ninjas in the room. Feet lightly tapping on the wooden floor, the three Jonin shuffled out of the small room. Shikamaru disappeared quickly using the flicker technique, and Kakashi made a move to peel off from Sakura as well, but she got a hold of his arm before he could escape her clutches that would lead him to the horrid affair that was his relationship with the hospital.

"Oh, no you don't, you're coming with me."

"Wait, Sakura, no—"

His words got swept up in her own flicker technique, leaving his vocals behind in the Hokage's tower as his body lurched in the direction of his nightmare. Of course, Sakura had made sure he had no hopes of escape: she'd led them straight to his reserved hospital room, as he frequented the ward so often.

"Alright, let's call a nurse and get you settled quickly," Sakura said, running around the room for his chart on the wall. She flipped through it and made a few notes. Kakashi peered over her shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of what she was writing, but Sakura tucked the clipboard to her chest. "Doctor's eyes only!" She exclaimed. She pushed him into the cot. "You, in bed."

Kakashi put his hands in the air, surrendering. Deciding to play coy, he asked, "Shouldn't I change into my hospital gown?"

Sakura's face paled, her cheeks then turning bright red. "Oh, yeah. Well, maybe just wait until the nurse gets here."

Tilting his head as he sat on the bed, Kakashi asked, "Didn't you say you were in a hurry?"

Now Sakura looked flustered. "Well, yes, but…"

"I'll change in the restroom," Kakashi decided.

Head down, he banished himself into the bathroom. Pulling off his smelly clothes, full of days of sweat, Kakashi gagged and contemplated. This was his first one-on-one time with Sakura since… since he'd tried kissing her. Before he'd gotten swept up in her urgency, but now it truly hit him now: her avoidance of his affection. After he'd opened up to her, letting his fears and guilt out. Not as if she owed him anything for that; he'd just thought they'd been growing close. Closer than he'd ever felt with anyone else.

She might not think of him in the exact same way, but Kakashi knew they were still more than simple friends. He could still trust her. He needed to talk to her, get his feelings out, so he could move on.

After he finished changing, Kakashi left the bathroom and crawled obediently into his bed. Sakura was still scribbling in his chart, eyebrows furrowed in cute concentration. Despite the situation that sat at their door, Kakashi still wanted to appreciate her hard-working spirit and brilliant mind.

"Sakura," he began.

Startled, she looked up from her work. A bright smirk spread across her face. "What is this? I've never seen you get in bed without a few minutes of persuasion."

Mussing with the wrinkles in the blankets, Kakashi murmured. "Yes, well. Times have changed, I've changed… because of you."

Now it was Sakura's turn to tilt her head. "Come again?"

"You've changed me. I thanked you before for letting me open to you. Now, I want to thank you for changing me into someone I like more."

Fondness gleamed in Sakura's bright eyes, and Kakashi's heart ached. If only that fondness extended slightly more to how he felt. "Of course, Kakashi," she said, voice velvet. "That person was always there. Everyone could see it; I could see it. It was just a matter of making _you_ see it."

Kakashi shook his head, not sure as to why. There was no clear way in his mind to transition the conversation to what he wanted to touch upon, so he decided bluntness would be the best tactic. "Sakura, after I… wept, right before we hugged…"

He heard Sakura take a quick intake of breath. That sign alone, and he knew she was aware what he was talking about. "Yes?"

"You know how I… leaned in…" _Kami,_ this was awkward. Typically a smooth talker, now Kakashi finding it even difficult to quickly string together a sentence.

Contrary to his desire for honesty, Sakura feigned ignorance. "Leaned in? What do you mean?"

Her avoidance triggered some anger in Kakashi, and he found it within himself to face the root of the issue.

"I was trying to kiss you," he said quickly. "And I'm sorry."

Sakura seemed taken back by surprise. "Sorry?"

Nodding, Kakashi looked to the chair by the bedside which held up his sad, deposited clothes. "Yes, sorry, because you felt the need to dodge it. I did not mean to put you in an uncomfortable position. Please know I still cherish what we built over this mission, so I won't ever try again. I just wanted to get it out in the open so we can move on."

"Oh."

"Oh?" Kakashi repeated, a small smile of bemusement on his face. The pink-haired medic, usually with so much to say, only could vocalize one word.

Kakashi thought too soon, because Sakura shook her head. "No, not 'oh.' I…" Sakura looked to the window, biting her bottom lip. Closing her eyes and taking one deep breath, she walked over to Kakashi's bed, sitting by his side and taking his hand.

"That's not true," she whispered. Kakashi's breath stopped. He did not want any movements, noises, or distractions from what he was about to hear.

"Well I mean, I did dodge it," Sakura corrected. "But not for the reason you think." She closed her eyes again, and now Kakashi put a comforting hand over her own. Her hand loosened in his own, and her chest expanded.

"Kakashi, I –"

The door opened and a nurse stepped in, a forehead glistening with the first signs of perspiration. Sakura's impatience with slow-minded people also extended to their physical speed, a trait that spread through the wing like wildfire when she first took over the hospital.

"Dr. Haruno, I'm here," the nurse said, stating the obvious. Wide-eyed and scared, the nurse gulped audibly as he took in the intimate moment the head doctor was in the middle of. Sakura looked spooked, and Kakashi never wanted to commit murder more. "Oh, Doctor, I'm sorry, I –"

Standing quickly, Sakura brushed off her clothes, leaving Kakashi's hand empty, and her former spot cold. "No, that's quite alright. Did you bring me my coat?"

Nodding, the nurse wordlessly handed the white jacket. In one swift moment that brushed Sakura's scent over Kakashi, she dressed her part and became Head Doctor Haruno. "Here's his chart," she handed his papers to the nurse. "There's not much to do besides the usual when it comes to this trouble maker," she said playfully, avoiding Kakashi's longing stare. "I need to go and start researching a way to combat this destructive disease at once."

"Of course," the nurse bowed, moving to Kakahsi's side. He didn't know this man, this medic. As if he would listen to anyone but Sakura. And now she was leaving him, at his most vulnerable, in the place he most despised.

"Sakura, please, wait," Kakashi called, rising in his bed. The nurse, beefier than expected, shoved him back down on the cot into the pillows, shaking his head.

Body half-through the door, Kakashi watched as Sakura's hand held all the tension in her body, not releasing her, not allowing herself to leave his room.

Sorrowful for a reason unbeknownst to Kakashi, Sakura peered in one last time and gave him a small smile. "Get some rest, Kakashi." And then she was gone.

"Sleep, now, Hatake," the nurse said, voice distant. The sensation of chakra infused with the feeling of sleepiness sank into his body, and Kakashi was forced into a state of unconsciousness.

* * *

How different this sleep was from that blessed night of tranquility besides Sakura in the tasteful in back in the Land of Mountain Streams. At peace with himself, besides someone he trusted, he'd been able to doze off with ease. Here, in the hospital, he fought the drowsiness that tugged at his body at every extremity possible. The urge to get up, contribute to his society instead of sleeping the days away that he could not fulfil frustrated him to no end. Whatever drugs Sakura had him on were powerful, more powerful than he'd previously experienced, and there was no way around it besides waiting.

And so, he did, after days of struggle. Succumbing to the drugs, he allowed his body to heal, and replenish.

A day later, a rumble sounded from outside of the window. Lids heavy, lips chapped, and body sore from atrophy, Kakashi summoned strength to turn his head towards the source. No visual cues presented themselves to give him any more information. Groaning, Kakashi sat up right. The sounds grew louder and clearer as Kakashi's senses connected with his brain. Shouts, grunts, cries: the rudiments of close-combat warfare. A siren from far away: the raid siren, notifying the entire village that there was an attack. Although muffled by distance, Kakashi knew his resting time was over, despite any doctor's orders, Sakura included.

 _Sakura_.

His heart hurt just at the thought of her name. What was she going to say before the nurse came in and stopped her train of thought? She'd confused him immensely. _Yes_ , she did dodge his advances, but _no_ , not in the way he thought? What other way could that be?

Kakashi shook his head violently, giving him a slight headache. Holding his head, he grunted. This was not the time nor place to contemplate Sakura's puzzling mind. Action was needed.

After his chakra supply joyously resounded in his body, full again, Kakashi summoned Pakkun on his bed.

The dog appeared on the sheets, mouth full of scroll. Wary, Pakkun sat by Kakashi's feet, depositing the scroll in between his paws.

"Boss," he greeted Kakashi, bowing his small head.

"Don't 'boss' me," Kakashi said, shifting his head in agitated imitation. "What's going on?"

Pakkun shifted his paws before answering. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with," he decided to say.

"Really?" Kakashi did not believe him for a second. In a quick motion, he grabbed the scroll by Pakkun, lifting it in the air where the dog could not reach. "Let me see for myself, then. What's in this scroll?"

The pug scrambled up Kakashi's chest to no avail. "No, Young Hatake! That's not for your eyes! It's from the Hokage herself."

"Working with the Hokage without me, I see," Kakashi said, saddened. Relenting, the pug stopped fighting to climb up his human and sat, dejected, to the side. With rigor, Kakashi tore open the scroll and read the message.

 _Need more reinforcement by the southeast tower. Send three more Jonin teams from the trees, the two by the tunnels. Up to 20% contamination in the village. No antidote has been made yet, no update from Sakura. Assume a week longer of assault before progress is made. Prepare evacuation of children, separated from their mothers._

"What?" Kakashi breathed. The situation in his head did not compare to reality. It was much more dire. Rolling the message back up, he tossed the paper to Pakkun. "Here. Continue on. I'll be there too."

"Boss, are you sure you're okay?"

"It doesn't matter. If I'm okay, and we lose," Kakashi argued, "I'll have the same result as if I were not okay. Might as well contribute and fight."

"I'm not sure I follow that logic…" Pakkun said, eyes questioning.

Ignoring the complaint, Kakashi pulled his sheets off and tore the stupid nightgown he wore. Fortunately, some nurse had been gracious enough to spring for an outfit cleaning, and his clothes were nice and folded by his nightstand.

Fully dressed, Kakashi turned to see Pakkun still waiting expectantly, standing as if he wanted to say something.

"Yes?" Kakashi prompted.

"Boss, I…" Pakkun trailed. "Please be careful." He nodded, and poofed away.

Smiling, Kakashi sent the same prayer to his trusted companion. Taking one breath to gather himself, Kakashi pulled his hands to his chest, motioned, and flickered away to the base of south east tower.

* * *

As he appeared on the battlefield, the noise that had been dampened before blasted in Kakashi's ears. Disoriented for a split second, Kakashi quickly took in the ground view of the fights.

Blends of Leaf shinobi faced off other ninja who hailed from many different villages. From flashes of headbands, Kakashi made out Mist Village ninja, Stone Ninja, Waterfall Ninja, Snow Ninja… a pattern of Water-associated villages and lands stuck out. Guess they were more loyal to each other thank Kakashi thought… or they all simply took the chance to strike Konoha when at its weakest.

Catapults of blazing stone flew from the walls of the village, crashing down all around the field, shaking the earth beneath Kakashi's feet. Different ninjutsu techniques also morphed the scene around him. Spikes of dirt, masses of plant life, flooding fields, and pillars of fire all roared around him. The siren still blasted in the village, a constant reminder that civilian lives were being torn apart.

Keeping quiet, Kakashi prepared his chakra, then threw himself into the nearest fight. A Chunin he did not recognize struggled with an experienced ninja from the Mist Village. Only using taijutsu, Kakashi spun and kicked the ninja square in the chest, sending him far away. His fellow ninja breathed out, relieved. Giving Kakashi a nod, she sprinted away to find a more suitable opponent.

The Mist ninja leapt back into the air, wiping blood from his lips. Growling, he grazed his eyes over Kakashi's.

"The infamous Copy Ninja," he glowered. "Let's see how that title lives up now that you don't have a Sharingan!" He threw four shiruken at Kakashi, who easily dodged the attack. Kakashi assumed it would be a distraction, but it seemed Mist ninja lacked the cleverness even Leaf Genin had. Flipping in the air, Kakashi remembered the pressure points Sakura had used on their way to the Mountain Stream Village. With a one-two punch, the man lay on the group, indisposed.

"Hmph." Kakashi kicked him lightly in the side, and bounded off to his next victim.

It took Kakashi five more opponents before he saw someone he knew.

"Haha! Take that! You are no match for the power of _**youth**_!" The boisterous laugh flew over the battle field. The man had not even opened a single gate. All he wielded were his nunchaku and green jumpsuit, yet we sent waves of fright wherever he next lay his eyes.

"Gai!" Kakashi shouted as he made his way to his friend, punching a few ninjas.

The man turned, a huge smile plastered across his face. "My rival! I am glad you have finally made it onto the battle field. I've already defeated a few dozen of these bothersome folk who call themselves shinobi. Care to try and beat me?" He swept low, tripping a whole group of ninjas around him, before reaching Kakashi. Back to back, they postured, fists up.

"I'll take that bet," Kakashi said. "I've been on the battle field for about twenty minutes and I'm already up to six."

"I would not expect anything else from my rival!" Gai bellowed. "How admirable!"

Rolling his eyes, Kakashi withheld laughter. "Any updates for me? I'm pretty much in the dark right now."

Gai's dazzling radiance dimmed. "It's not good, Kakashi," he said, voice low. "The first stages of the infection were impossible to track, so we tallied about eleven domestic fatalities before we could separate families. Sakura developed a way to test for the bacteria, but it's not one hundred percent accurate." He paused to punch a woman away. "Morality is low. People fight in the streets, across the entire village, even as Lady Tsunade orders separation of families' along with an evacuation."

"I did read a message saying there's no antidote yet," Kakashi said, using a lightning technique to fry a few Stone ninja.

He felt Gai nod behind him. "That is true. But Shizune and Sakura figured out a way to subdue patients to the point they don't attack anyone they love on sight. But given the fact almost the entire village is surrounded, and we have infighting to handle, there are too many battle fronts to cover. Tactically, we are at a significant disadvantage."

"We'll just have to hold on for as long as possible," Kakashi decided. "C'mon. I bet I can wrack up a few dozen before the sun sets."

"Haha! We shall see, my rival! Gate one, the Gate of Opening! Gate two, the Gate of Healing, open!" A blast of energy flew by Kakashi. "Let us fight, dishonorable opponents!"

Although Kakashi took Gai's challenge seriously, they pair ended up working together. It was endless. So many villages held grudges against the Leaf, and Kakashi was sick and tired of it. They were obviously stronger, of course they would be jealous. Instead of being jealous, he thought maybe they should focus on making themselves just as skilled or powerful. Then again, they also lacked the intellect of the Leaf.

Afternoon turned to dusk, and then only the stars and fire lit up the battle field as the ninja continued the assault. Konoha's numbers kept up. It took more than a few days of fighting to tire noble leaf ninja out. And with Kakashi's renewed chakra, he knew he could keep up.

A few days became five days. Five days turned into a week. More and more dark green flak jackets littered the floor around Kakashi's feet. More and more still faces sparked memories. Medical ninjas worked as fast as they could, running around with stretchers and test kits. Konoha was hit twice: with the human opponent, and the microscopic opponent. Leaf ninja were forced to stand down, relenting to be taken to the hospital for treatment, in fear of starting to fight against their own army.

Gai, to make up for the shrinking fighting force, opened three more gates. Even with his youthful spirit, the toll of the technique was starting to catch up to him. Kakashi was tiring yet again. At every moment, he worried he too would get infected, and be taken to back to his bed in the village. Word got out the bacteria was blood borne, sparking fear every time he received a cut from a reused weapon.

Finally, a day later, word came that an antidote was in the works. Relief boosted the effort of leaf shinobi, and _finally_ a shout of retreat permeated across the field. Just ten minutes later, every ninja that did not honor the Leaf symbol departed.

Hands bloody, clothes torn, Kaksahi held his last kunai with white knuckles. Many yards away, he saw Gai's aggressive red figure scan the area for more enemies. And then he fell.

Rushing to his friend's side, Kakashi cradled Gai's head. "Hey. Hey. It's over. We won." Gai grimaced, and Kakashi felt Gai's brittle bones shudder against the torn muscles of his comrade.

"Yes, yes we did," Gai breathed. His eyes closed.

"Hang on!" Holding his friend bridal style, Kakashi sprinted back to the hospital.

* * *

 _Author's note:_

 _Honestly, I think Gai really is one of my favorite characters. Hot take, Gai should have been able the one to kill Madara, not Naruto._

 _Also, next (FINAL) chapter should be up within a few weeks! Probably after I finish up my finals next week. I just want to make sure it flows well, as it was written so long ago I can't tell if it makes sense or not haha._

 _Thanks for sticking with this story 3_

 _(And shameless plug if you wanna talk about shit with me: tumblr is beans-shadow)_


	13. Chapter 13

After the battle finally dies down, Kakashi searches for Sakura in the wreckage. But she's nowhere to be seen, and Kakashi immediatly assumes the worst... But he's not wrong.

 _Author's note:_ _Yes, it's here! The final chapter! Please enjoy! 3_

* * *

The rhythmic beeping of the electrocardiogram soothed Kakashi's worries about his friend. His vitals stabilized after the gates closed naturally, and the doctor assured him that Gai would be better after a month's rest of being taken off active duty. _A well-deserved leave_ , Kakashi thought, as he was certain the man had bested him in their bet. While Kakashi was slick, Gai was mighty, and took down hordes of ninja to Kakashi's few.

In the previous two hours, Kakashi got swept up in chaotic activity. Apparently, Sakura had not slept for a week, working tirelessly on the antidotes in her labs. Once released on the free market, she'd set up in the center of town an enormous medical facility catering to both the wounded and infected. Her operation became a well-oiled machine by the time Kakashi arrived with Gai. Dozens of medic teams jogged about, delivering various goods. Shizune barked orders from the Lead Medic tent, and wails of sorrow filled Kakashi's ears.

Feeling like a lost dog, Sakura rescued the scrambling man when she found him, quick to personally ushered him and his precious cargo to the ninja corner of the camp.

After setting Gai up on many machines, and injecting them both, she'd bowed and scurried away to her next patient.

Now, Gai slept peacefully in his bed, so Kakashi decided to let him be.

He knew she would be awfully busy administering cures, but Kakashi had to see her.

Refusing treatment from every nurse that came his way, Kakashi ran through a handful of medical tents before he found Shizune. She buzzed from bed to bed, checking charts, monitoring tests, and adjusting IVs.

"Shizune! Hey, Shizune!"

The woman turned at his second call, frantic. She touched his black eye, prompting a weak hiss from the man. "Kakashi! Are you okay? Have you gotten the vaccine yet?"

Kakashi waved his hand. "Yes, don't worry, I got it when I brought Gai in. Have you seen Sakura?"

"Sakura?" Shizune stood on her tip toes, peering over the many heads that bustled every which way. "No, I haven't seen her since…" she pursed her lips. "Since she ran out of here about thirty minutes ago, muttering about something." She touched Kakashi's arm. "If you see her, can you tell her how thankful we are? Without her, this whole village might have perished."

"She left?"

Furrowing her brows, Shizune nodded. "Not sure exactly why. It's odd. Maybe she just needed a break." A shout came from across the camp. "I have to go!" Tapping him in dismissal, the woman scurried away.

Kakashi muttered agreement as she departed while his mind whirred. There was no chance Sakura would take a break. Just like him, she would work until she fell over from exhaustion. What would make her leave her post?

Terror threated through Kakashi's body.

There could only be one reason Sakura would ever leave her post.

 _ **No**._

His surroundings faded, faces blurred. His destroyed home became far away in his mind and distance as he sprinted to the village's gates, past the guards.

Even the charred and overturned battle field became meaningless to Kakashi as he leapt through the trees. All that mattered was Sakura.

Extending his hands outward, he summoned a jutsu he rarely utilized for several reasons. Firstly, it took too much charka. Secondly, it required the presence of a deep connection that Kakashi never dared test.

Now, he tried it.

"Lighting Release: Soul Sting Sensor Jutsu!" Tingles sparked at his fingertips, searching. His energy, merged with electrons, moved in synch with his own fundamental frequency, and dissipated far distances all around him. They would only stop if they found an object that hummed at complementing harmonics to his own. Of course, this could only occur if someone had found their soul mate, even if they did not feel the same way.

The electric current gathered more and more energy, until it shot up into his forearms.

The light had found her. Kakashi allowed himself to feel some hope.

Following the tug of his hands, he ran further away from the village. It seemed she'd headed the exact opposite direction, trying to get as much distance between her and anyone she cared about as possible.

The technique grew more and more aggressive as he drew closer, the pain becoming so intense Kakashi held his hands together to focus. The humming of harmonics hurt his ears, but he pushed through it as he rummaged through bushes, checked tree tops, and leaned into small rock caves.

Several minutes later, he found her, and the jutsu dissipated. By a far training ground most had forgotten about, she lay crumpled up against a tree, head in her hands, tearing at her hair in agony. She'd lost her doctor's coat somewhere, and just clad in her classic red shirt and medic skirt. She held her body curled tightly in a ball, and the grass around her a distinctly browner than the lush green just a foot away.

"Sakura?" He called out to her.

She flinched, as if his voice caused her additional pain. She tucked her head closer into her chest.

"Kakashi, what are you doing here? Please leave!"

Kakashi drew closer, extending a hand. "Let's go back, Sakura. I won't let anything happen to you. You aren't going to die out here. Come back to the village."

Scurrying her feet wildly, she tried to push herself closer to her tree.

"There's nothing I can do for myself! Please, just go."

"Why? It's okay. Sakura, just take my hand," he gesticulated again. There was nothing to worry about. Kakashi had not contracted the illness, so he could not lash out at her. As for Sakura…

Kakashi said, "You made an antidote, remember? You won't hurt anyone if you return. You'll be able to see your family. Everyone wants to see you. Please, Sakura, let me help."

Pink hair finally moved, and Sakura's tearful eyes looked up at Kakashi. "No, it won't work on me," she breathed through a straining neck.

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "This stupid illness is savage. I've been exposed too many times, I've injected myself with antibiotics too many times…"

"You're immune!" Kakashi exclaimed, jumping to conclusions. "Even better!"

"NO!" She shouted, frustrated and in pain. "My strain mutated. It's much stronger than anything else. The drug won't work on me!"

"What?" Kakashi breathed. He was not versed that profusely in medicine, forcing him to take an extra beat to absorb the implications of her statement.

That extra beat cost him.

"Ugh!" Sakura shouted out. Pain tore through her body, and she bashed herself against the tree trunk.

"Sakura!" Kakashi lunged towards her. But Sakura threw an arm in the air which connected squarely in his chest, flinging him far away.

"I need you to go! Let me die!" She roared, grabbing at her head. He could see her chakra going haywire, and her trying desperately to control it as a few pink hairs ripped from her skull.

"Why are you pushing me away? Let me help!" This was no time to be stubborn.

Grimacing, Sakura pushed her head up, knuckles white against her sides. Saline flowed freely from both of her eyes, as the obscured sign of takeover washed over her emerald irises. "Isn't it obvious, Kakashi?"

And as her eyes faded away, Kakashi realized.

 _No. It couldn't be._

"Sakura—" Kakashi stepped towards her, but she lay limp against the tree.

Then, with a lurch, she looked up at him.

There was no recognition, no joy, not even sadness.

Just a darkness. And a goal.

"Shinobi battle skills number one, Kakashi."

 _Lesson number one?_

"What?"

Why did the phrase spark familiarity?

With a grip that left indents in the tree trunk, Sakura hefted herself up from the ground.

"Taijutsu!"

In a flash, Sakura growled and rushed towards him, fists raised. Chakra hummed in the air, ready for a kill shot. Kakashi stared as the shinobi ran towards him, face serene even with murder in her hands. At the last second, Kakashi ducked out of the way, leaving a tree behind him to be decimated upon impact with Sakura's fist.

"Don't be such a slippery foe," Sakura snided, her voice's usual pleasant lilt gone. "Face me like a _man_. There's no reason to be afraid. Cha!" She pounded the ground in fury, sending a rumble to the ground below Kakashi's feet. The poor training ground erupted around him, and he quickly formed the signs for a shadow clone before fleeing to a nearby tree branch.

He watched his shadow clone yelp and fall into the earth, becoming wedged between a rock and a hard place. Head tilted down, Sakura smirked. Knees locked, she approached his clone slowly.

"That was easier than I thought it would be." She raised his chin to look at her, but even if that were Kakashi down there, he knew he wouldn't see the Sakura he had grown to care about in her eyes. Still, it brought tears to his eyes to witness the brutality of the disease.

His clone let out a choking sound as Sakura's fingers closed around his trachea. "Too bad this isn't you." She squeezed, and the clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Pivoting, Sakura pinpointed Kakashi in the tree. "You can't hide from me, old man." With sinister silence, she hopped from tree to tree until she faced Kakashi, and with no transition started attacking him. They hadn't gone one on one since the last bell test he'd put her and Naruto through, but she'd improved in speed and accuracy. Although never hitting him dead-on, she brushed his shoulder twice, managed to nick his thigh, and almost kicked his feet from under him. Kakashi just tried to dodge; he could not fathom fighting her back. But defense tired an already exhausted body, and the tactic was a difficult one to maintain in the complex environment of the tree tops.

"Ah!" Kakashi stepped on rotting tree, and his foot slipped forcing him to break focus from Sakura and catch himself. It was the only opening she needed, and with a blank smile she collided glove with jacket, right in the center of his chest. Kakashi went flying with the force of her punch, falling from the trees and hitting the ground hard. The wind had been punched out of him, and he writhed in pain with the attempt to simply inhale.

A pair of black boots appeared in his periphery.

"Sakura, please," he barely wheezed out, coughing up blood. "This isn't you. Fight it!" She was strong, stronger than anyone he knew. If anyone could snap out of this unfound fury, it was Haruno Sakura.

Continuing as if he had not even spoken, Sakura's dark, deep voice rattled Kakashi's ears. "Here's your second lesson."

In a squat, with amazing speed Sakura formed several hand signs Kakashi couldn't follow without the Sharingan.

 _Genjutsu_ , Kakashi finished for her.

Even being mind-controlled, Sakura had a twisted sense of humor. Some of his fondest memories of Team Seven were dissolving in front of his eyes as she repeated his lines word for word and with surgical precision punched through his heart.

Waving a hand in the air, Sakura faded into a mist, leaving Kakashi alone laying on the hard rock of Konoha's training ground. What was she planning?

Finally able to take deep breaths, Kakashi rose to all fours, looking around in fear. A scuttle to his right; he braced himself for impact.

Pakkun emerged from a brush, leaping over the grass to rush over by his side. "Bossman! Are you okay?"

"Pakkun," Kakashi let out in alleviation. "It's good to see you. You need to send word back to Tsunade."

"But what about Bull?" Pakkun asked.

"Bull? What happened to him?" Kakashi couldn't take another loss.

"Follow me, quickly." Pakkun scurried away. Grimacing in pain, Kakashi stood to chase after his companion. The background faded away around him, becoming a mush of green and brown until he saw him: Bull, laying on his side on the ground, a deep gash in his leg.

"Bull!" Kakashi ran to him, sitting on his heels, hands hovering over his dog. "How did this happen?" He asked Pakkun.

Pakkun stepped forward, slowly. Rearing back his lips, the dog exposed his sharp teeth and let out a deep, vibrating growl. The sound started harmonizing around him, and when Kakashi looked to his left and right, he saw the rest of his ninken doing the same thing.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Kakashi asked, standing over Bull's body. He recognized their stances; hackles raised, teeth barred. Kakashi was the prey, surrounded by the pack with no way out.

Pain shot up his leg, and Kakashi fell to one knee, casting a betrayed look at Bull who bit deep into his calf. The large dog almost completely ate his entire bottom limb, planting Kakashi to the ground leaving him subject to the whims of his dogs. Sweating through the pricks and daggers of pain, Kakashi asked Pakkun once more what had gotten into them.

But Pakkun seemed past talking. The usual spark of intelligence in his tired eyes was gone, leaving just an instinctual need to stalk an injured animal in the woods.

The pack simultaneously took a step forward. They were about to attack. "Pakkun, please!" Kakashi wailed. He couldn't take this. He'd lost Sakumo, Obito, Rin, Minato. He couldn't lose Pakkun too, just as Sakura was slipping through his fingers.

 _Wait, Sakura!_

Sakura, a master at genjutsu, was always quick to recognize when she was caught in spell. Obviously more quickly than Kakashi.

Just as his dogs pounced at him flashing their sharpened canines, Kakashi brought his hands together and closed his eyes. "Release!"

A brush of air, and Kakashi opened his eyes. His dogs were gone, but the pain lingered on his right leg. Her genjutsu was so powerful, it transcended even differentiation from reality.

From behind a tree, Kakashi saw the whisper of pink hair against the stark silhouette of Sakura's profile.

Reaching out to her, he yelled, "Enough, Sakura! You've got to snap out of it. I know you can." He stepped forward, but limped as his leg revolted against any kind of movement.

In a swift motion, Sakura leapt from her hiding place, tossing shuriken at Kakashi. Reactions impaired, Kakashi only just managed to avoid her attack. Regaining his poor footing, Kakashi looked up, only to see two kunai shoot at him, planting squarely in their targets. One to his right shoulder, directly in a pressure point, the other in his side.

"Arg!" Kakashi heckled over, clutching at his stomach with his left arm. She hit right in a point that almost rendered his entire right side useless. Assured of her safety, Sakura walked slowly to him, tugging on an end of her glove.

He felt the chakra build up inside her, focusing in her fist as she readied her final blow.

"Enough of this!" Letting out a yell of frustration, Kakashi threw up quick signs. "Ninja art: Earth Release: Earth Shock!" He hit the ground, sending waves through the earth. In the first sign of emotion, Sakura's face turned into one of surprise as she was tossed backwards several feet with the force of Kakashi's chakra infusion with the earth. She landed hard on her rear across the clearing, staying down after several seconds. Kakashi saw his opening.

With knives still protruding from his body, Kakashi took a step towards Sakura. "It's okay, Sakura. I'm here. Come back to me. Please." Pressure formed behind his eyes; of course she would be making the Copy Ninja cry once again. "Please," he repeated. "I need you."

He saw her legs trembling, the effects of the bacteria manifesting physically. But when Sakura looked up this time, Kakashi's breath stuck in his throat. She looked terrified, stranded, and destroyed. His Sakura was back, and she needed him. She was trying, she was hearing him.

Reaching out his good arm, Kakashi beckoned for her. "Let's go back to Konoha, together. Our village needs our best healer. I need my hero."

Sakura reached back out to him, arm joining her other limbs in similar tremors. They were so close. If he could touch her, bring her back…

And Kakashi's heart broke.

A quake overtook Sakura who let out an agonizing wail. Her back arched as if a jolt of electricity circulated her body before she relaxed, slumping over her legs.

"Sakura?" Kakashi inquired, retreating.

Her eyes were hidden in shadow and Kakashi swore that the hair that covered her face had dulled.

She twisted her neck to gaze at Kakashi with eyes devoid of any emotion. When she spoke, it was robotic and empty. "Ninja lesson number three. Ninjutsu."

A glow surrounded Sakura, emanating from every pore in her body. Her Yin seal flashed, and her typically green chakra turned that exuded all over her body turned into a muddled brown as lines marked her beautiful face. Kakashi had never seen anything like it.

As if her limbs did not function properly, Sakura jerkily stood up, her neck lurching from side to side with her movements. She raised one hand in the air, palm to the sky, fingers pointed up as if she was carrying an invisible orb.

And then the chakra floating around her focused its energy to her hand—it grew even more concentrated as it gathered on her fingertips.

"Sakura?" Kakashi tip toed closer. Maybe he could get to her. He hadn't lost her yet. This meant nothing... She was still in there. She had to be.

But Sakura gave no indication of hearing his call. The chakra continued focusing itself, extending from her fingertips. With a flash of light, it condensed into thin strands, seemingly delicate enough for tactful surgery.

 _Oh._

Her jutsu.

Flicking her fingers in the air, the trails of chakra sliced and cut through the space with whispers and promises of excruciating pain. Kakashi could only imagine the amount of accuracy that was necessary to master such a jutsu. But this was Sakura; she was known for her amazing chakra control after all.

"Ninja Art: Surgical Jutsu!"

With an animalistic growl, she clawed at him. Dodging an extra seven inches of weapon forced Kakashi to recalculate dodges and defense mechanisms, and he felt the close brushes of death. She touched his sleeve, and it sliced through the material like butter.

"Now," he heard her whisper.

"What?" He felt a slither by his shoulder. Turning his neck, he saw a small slug crawl up his back, and with a small cry bit into his neck.

"Ew!" He tried to pull the animal off, but remained stuck to him.

His face cooled, and his stomach dropped. A dizzy spell over took him, and then he felt his chakra drain.

Sakura's body seal flashed with greed, her eyes turning a muddled brown.

Face contorted in horror, Kakashi realized Sakura was using her summon to drain his chakra, a reverse jutsu from her extending her chakra to heal.

 _Every coin has two sides,_ he thought. _As life has death, healing has destruction_.

Lacking energy, Kakashi became helpless as Sakura glided over to his side. Unceremoniously, she thrusted a handful of her jutsu through his stomach. He felt the needles pierce through his skin, organs, bone, and out his back. The sucking sound of flesh cut through the air as she removed her hand, only to pierce him through the side into his kidney. Excruciating pain shot through his side. He felt as though his organs were disintegrating from inside, their molecular structure destabilized.

Yet again, she removed her destructive limb, and walked away without a care. She flexed her arm, and the threads of chakra grew longer. Her stance exuded power, and while Kakashi's only felt defeated.

"I won't fight you, Sakura," Kakashi said as she sauntered over to him. Feeling his body give out, Kakashi collapsed to the ground, finding asylum in a large boulder to lay on. "I refuse to hurt you. I won't hurt someone I care about, not again." He bowed his head to her, eyes closed. "Never again."

Energy reverberated above him, and Kakashi knew this was it. So be it. This was Rin all over again. To save himself, he needed to kill he person the felt closest with. Rin hadn't given Kakashi a choice in the final result. This time, he did. And he would rather die than live with another murder on his hands. He wouldn't do it.

 _Shhhllish!_

Slicing wind blew past his face, and the grass uselessly cried as it became the victim of Sakura's blow.

Gazing up, tears in his eyes, Kakashi looked at Sakura.

Her body heaved with every breath, and her hair stuck to her forehead due to sweat.

But her eyes.

They were green again.

"Sakura?" He pushed himself from his rock, blood seeping out from his side. "Is that really you?"

Her eyes flashed from her hand, stuck in the ground, to Kakashi. They were desperate, scared, longing.

Then they rolled to the back of her head, and she crumbled to the ground.

"No! Sakura!" He scrambled to her side, holding just as he'd held Gai earlier that day. He brushed her hair from her face. "You did it. You fought it. Please, come back to me."

Unlike Gai, she didn't respond to Kakashi. Her breathing shallowed. Her soft skin paled.

Her seal flashed over her body, and the dark lines retreated to her forehead.

Then she lay still.

"No!" Kakashi wailed. Cradling her body to his, he swayed in the air. "No, no!"

 _This couldn't be it._

 _No._

 _Not when she'd felt the same._

His world broke again. How many times now, did this make it? Where he would be the survivor, torn apart by heartbreak?

"No!" He cried again, into the vacuum of nature. No one was around to hear him. No one was there to comfort him. No one was there to save him.

As he clutched her close, he remembered a distant memory. A long time ago, when he still had Obito's eye.

"You're not the one dying, not today, not this time," he muttered, laying her on the ground elegantly.

Positioning his hands over her torso, he yelled, summoning the last of his chakra reserve.

"Ninja Art: One's Own Life Reincarnation!"

The blast of his energy moved his hair from his face as he concentrated. Now, more than ever before, he was grateful for using his Sharingan on Chiyo when she'd healed Gaara.

Gai had called it stupid, using the last of his energy on memorizing the technique, storing it for later. He'd claimed he'd never need it, that the situation would never call for him exchanging his own life for someone else like this. Gai, ever the optimist, thought Kakashi's second chance at not repeating what happened to Obito, Rin, and Minto, would never arise.

Or maybe he was simply optimistic about Kakashi's future.

"Arg!" The drain of the reanimation technique hit Kakashi full force. Sakura, dead, would require the exchange of life for her return. The jutsu stopped at a blockade, checking if the user was willing to make the sacrifice.

Kakashi would gladly give that up.

"Whatever it takes!" He yelled, pushing through the barrier, Kakashi barreled down the path of death. And suddenly, he the felt energy flow with the ease of a tranquil river. The chakra moved freely into Sakura, but instead of pain, Kakashi became blissful. A haze grew around him, as if Shizune had stuck him on strong pain killers.

A few more seconds later, he heard Sakura give a sharp intake of breath.

He fell to the side.

Darkness grew around him as his senses dimmed. This was it.

 _"Ka-shi… -k-i!"_

There was a distant voice Kakashi barely registered as Sakura's. But it was her. He knew it. He'd done it. He could die happily.

 _"Strength-f-100 S-ls!"_

Up, up, and up. Kakashi felt his body soar.

This was it: his salvation. His reward for years of torture, being left alone. He'd protected Konoha faithfully, dutifully. Now, he was done. Now, he could rest.

His father whispered in his ear, welcoming. Rin's arms were open, welcoming. Even Obito, arms crossed, offered him a genuine smile.

 _Slam!_

His body hit the earth, hard. Kakashi let out a groan, sensation returning to his body.

"Kakashi?"

Eyes barely open, he saw the outline of someone hovering over her head. Light. It was light.

"Kakashi?"

Opening slightly more, he saw Sakura. No. No. Had he in actuality failed? Why was she here, welcoming him on the other side?

Eyes fully open, he saw the sun setting in the distance, the trees swaying in the breeze. Sakura's Yin seal flash over her precious features, retreating from her limbs, her chakra spent.

"Sakura?" He whispered. "How?"

"Oh, Kakashi!" He tenderly graced his cheek, then fell, lying next to him.

She took his hand in her own, and closed her eyes.

Darkness enveloped his vision.

* * *

.

.

.

.

 _I found them! They're over here!_

.

.

.

.

.

.  
.

 _They've both exhausted their chakra reserves to the extreme, those idiots!_

 _Quick, get me transplants stat! Call Naruto, we'll need his supply._

.

.  
.

 _I think that did it._

 _Should I get them separate rooms?_

 _No. I think they'll want to wake up together._

.

.  
.

* * *

 _Beep… Beep... Beep... Beep…_

The sound of the machine clashed with the pacing of shoes in the room. Whoever it was, they were impatient, and Kakashi would have none of it.

"Would you please stop that?" He muttered, eyes shut. His head pounded like a menace, and he couldn't bring himself to open them, wherever he was.

"What?"

"I said, please stop that incessant stomping," He repeated, voice weak.

Wait, where _was_ he?

Subjecting himself to the intense brightness, Kakashi opened his eyes. White blinded his vision for a moment before the familiar room greeted him. Ah. The hospital.

His eyes drifted down, stopping on the figure at the foot of his bed.  
It was Sakura, dressed unceremoniously in civilian clothes. She looked at fine as day, hands woven together by her mouth, until tears erupted from her eyes.

"Kakashi!" She rushed to his bedside, wrapping him in a hug.

He expected pain, but only the warm sensation of her body against his flew through his body.

"I, I don't understand," he said, unable to return her hug.

Sakaura nodded, standing up. "Oh. Right of course. You have questions?"

He stared at her. "You. You died."

Sakura titled her head. "Well, not quite."

"And then I reanimated you."

"Again, only semi-correct."

"How am I here? Is this heaven?"

Sakura laughed, caressing Kakashi's hair. "No. No. This is Konoha. Our home."

"Then… _how_?"

Pulling up a stood, Sakura sat down. "You remember reanimating me? Using Chiyo's technique?"

"Yes," Kakashi answered, agitated. "I just said that. Chiyo died after she used that justu on Gaara. Why didn't I die? It's a life for a life, everyone knows that."

Gently, Sakura smiled and took Kakashi's hand in her own. "I hadn't died quite yet; I was only on the _verge_ of death. So…" she gestured.

Kakashi stared. "So… I also brushed death's edge, instead of dying," he finished.

Sakura nodded. "Exactly. And after you revived me, I used my Creation Rebirth Strength of 100 Technique to bring you back," she tapped her forehead for emphasis.

Feeling dumb, Kakashi stared. "Why did you do that, Sakura?" He questioned. "You wasted so much chakra that you spent years building up." The technique was famous, and everyone knew that you only had one lifetime to reserve that chakra. There was no going back.

Sakura smiled, the question not bothering her at all. She squeezed Kakahsi's hand. "It wasn't a waste, Kakashi. You can never waste your life… on someone you love."

For the third time, Kakashi stared. _She what_?

In answer to his unspoken question, Sakura leaned forward slightly hesitant but nonetheless confident, and pressed her mouth against his mask. It took a moment for Kakashi to register, but then his mouth remembered, and his body ignited. Sitting up, he shifted his arm to wrap around Sakura. She fit perfectly in his arms, and the final barrier screamed to be let down. One last protection of Kakashi's; the protection that mystified his figure, and secured the comforting distance he claimed between him and anyone else.

For Sakura, he did not want that anymore. She'd already dug up and torn into the tomb of his past he'd previously considered tightly shut. She'd ignited emotions he figured a man like him would never be allowed to feel again. He'd bled, laughed, confessed, and cried in front of her.

A lifetime of worry, disappointment, and fear all fell away; there was only Sakura.

The sentiment's reciprocation held up as Kakashi made his slow movements to certainly—decisively—slide his mask down his face, and the kuniochi's startling eyes, full of intense emotion from her declaration, never strayed from his glassy grays.

The frigid hospital air graced his lips, and Sakura's eyes defeated her immense willpower and drifted down. Pupils dilated, her breath quickened. And Kakashi was undone; waiting was no longer an option, he needed her, needed to feel her completely, needed to relent to her power.

The arm that used to secure the small of her back floated up, the bliss of the moment overtaking his own limbs, finding assurance at the softness of her jawline. He traced her cheek, finishing the intimate gesture by gently holding the back of her head, tangling that beautiful, silken hair in his fingers. She tilted her head up, expectant, and Kakashi grew eager to meet her halfway. Leaning down, he kissed her, fully.

The last kiss became just a distant memory as the sanctity of this moment trumped all others. The feeling, the taste… it sparked familiarity, yet newness as well. Everyone told him finding the one, if it ever happened, would feel like coming home. Kakashi, young and arrogant, and admittedly mostly cynical, brushed off every claim, knowing that finding such a person just simply could never appear in the cards for him, be that present or future.

Oh, how he'd be wrong. But so had they. This was not coming home. This was potential: the potential to build a new life, with a partner.

His hands trailed back down her sides, stopping at her hips. Deepening the kiss, he held her as close as he could in their awkward position, trying to emote every feeling he experienced through his movements.

That couldn't be enough, he figured, as Sakura spoke a different love language than he did. While actions demonstrated all he needed to know, he understood Sakura was a woman of words and communicated affirmation. He would gladly provide that for her.

"If you didn't know," he whispered against her lips, "I love you, too."

He opened his mouth, and she answered in kind, her mouth feeling like heaven against his lips. Greedy, he lifted her from her seat and onto his bed. Sakura, ever graceful, swung her leg over his bed, now straddling his decrepit body. Holding his face in her hands, she moved against him. Kakashi met her half way, pulling her closer. He would never be able to get her close enough.

A dull pounding hit his body. He attempted to ignore it, as the woman on top of him made his mind dizzy, and her movements lead him to insanity. Unfortunately, he had to eventually relent.

Pulling away, the man grimaced. "Oof," Kakashi groaned, holding his side. "Why am I sore?"

Laughing lightly, Sakura slid to his left, molding her body to his in the grungy hospital bed. "Well, you _did_ just almost die."

"I almost die all the time," Kakashi argued. Missing the warmth on top his body, he tugged her closer. "But this time, you healed me. With the 100 Seals!" He added.

"I repeat, you _almost died_. That would leave anyone feeling sore."

"Then why aren't you?" He poked her in the side, eliciting the targeted giggle that made his heart grow.

"You know that One's Own Life Reanimation is unique." She smirked, batting his hand away. "I could go into the specific science for you, but I'm afraid you would not be able to understand the complex biochemistry." Her voice then voice dropped, barely a whisper. "I've seen a lot of death in my career, Kakashi. And so have you. But you were closer than I've ever seen. I felt the tug you almost succumbed to. I thought I lost you."

Kakashi hugged her, and kissed the top of her head.

"Imagine what I went through," he whispered back. Then it hit him. Her reaction in the forest, her reluctance to from before… it all made sense now. "You… you knew."

Sakura nudged her face into his shoulder. "Knew what?"

Her aroma distracted him, but he stayed on task. "That you would contract the disease, given your proximity. That's why you dodged my advances before."

He felt her breathe into the nape of his neck. It sent shivers down his spine. "Yes."

"You did it to save me." He snorted. "Glad to see that worked out as planned."

She sat up slightly, defiant. "Well, I didn't think you would be stupid enough to chase after me!"

Kakashi smiled, pacifying his feisty ninja. "I'm glad I did."

Sinking back to his side, Sakura smiled back. With her one free hand, she played with is open face, memorizing his lips, his freckle, his rare smile. "I'm glad you did as well."

They lay there, in silence, finding refuge in the safe silence they finally had.

When Sakura eyes closed, and he thought she'd drifted off to sleep, Kakashi spoke to her.

"I don't have the softest touch, and I may not look like much... I may not always use the right words, and I know my edges are rough. I will never be enough. But I'm yours, Sakura. And I always will be."

Her eyes fluttered open.

"You'll always be enough for me, my Kakashi. Just as you are mine, I am yours."

* * *

Maybe it was the best war he'd ever experienced in his career, given what he'd gained. He typically lost so much through war, but not this time. Kakashi would have to ponder that.

But he thought he wouldn't need much convincing, now that he had Sakura at his side.

* * *

 _Author's note_ _: Please know I got the One's Own Life Reanimation idea from a post by hatakelegacy (tumblr)!_

 _Thank you to everyone who went on this year-long journey with me in the ninja world. Thank you to the kind patience my readers have, whose support I continuously felt as I wrote this._

 _And thank you all to whoever simply made it this far! If you did (which, if you're reading this, I'm assuming you did), the fact you continued reading my writing really means the world. Thank you. I hope this conclusion was worth it._

 _Talk to me on tumblr beans-shadow if you want, I'd love to chat :)_


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